Information and resources about the U.S. elections on November 6, 2012. (This page will be updated regularly throughout the campaign)

… Each state shall appoint, in such manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a number of electors, equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or person holding an office of trust or profit under the United States, shall be appointed an elector…

(Article II of the U.S. Constitution)

General Information

• Federal Election Commission (FEC)
• U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC)
• Glossary of U.S. Election Terms, U.S. Department of State
• U.S. Elections: Frequently Asked Questions, U.S. Department of State
• NASS 2012 Presidential Primaries Guide (pdf/105kb), National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS)
• A Voter’s Guide to Federal Elections (pdf/2348kb), U.S. Election Assistance Commission

Electoral College

• The Electoral College (pdf/114kb), U.S. Election Assistance Commission
• U.S. National Archives & Records Administration
  What is the Electoral College? | FAQs |Electoral College Calculator

Candidates

• Democratic Party
  Barack Obama
• Republican Party
  Newt Gingrich | Ron Paul | Mitt Romney | Rick Santorum
• U.S. Elections: 2012 Primary Schedule

CRS Reports
Congressional Research Service/ Library of Congress

• Contemporary Developments in Presidential Elections (pdf/688kb), Jan. 9, 2012
• Presidential Nominating Process: Current Issues (pdf/305kb), Dec. 30, 2011
• “Super PACs” in Federal Elections: Overview and Issues for Congress (pdf/448kb), Dec. 2, 2011
• The Help America Vote Act and Elections Reform: Overview and Issues (pdf/202kb), June 27, 2011
• Presidential Elections in the United States: A Primer (pdf/304kb), April 12, 2000

Briefings
Foreign Press Centers/ U.S. Department of State

• Readout of the Florida Primary and a Look Ahead at the Upcoming Caucuses and Primaries, with Jerry Hagstrom, Feb. 1, 2012
• The Role of Foreign Policy in the 2012 U.S. Presidential Elections, with James M. Lindsay, Dec. 16, 2011
• The Process of Electing the President of the United States: Role of Caucuses, Primaries and National Conventions, with Allan Lichtman, Dec. 6, 2011

Pamphlets

• U.S. Elections: Primary Elections
• U.S. Elections: A Diverse Electorate
• U.S. Elections: Social Media
• U.S. Elections: U.S. Political Parties
• U.S. Elections: Women in Politics

Polling

• Gallup – Election 2012
• PollingReport.com
• The Washington Post – Political Polls & Surveys

More Links

• How did Republicans pick the elephant, and Democrats the donkey, to represent their parties?, C-SPAN
• Class I – Senators Whose Term of Service Expire in 2013, United States Senate
• 2012 Gubernatorial Election Information, National Governors Association
• Pew Research Center – Publications on Election ’12

More Coverage
Bureau of International Information Programs (IIP) / U.S. Department of State

• African-American Voters Set to Play Key Role in November Election – May 14, 2012
• Who Are America’s Independent Voters? Why Are They Crucial? – April 13, 2012
• “American Political Candidates Need More than Money to Win” – March 19, 2012
• “Tuesday, March 6, Not So Super for American Voters” – March 7, 2012
• “Romney Win in First Republican Race in West Fails to Shrink Field” – Feb. 6, 2012
• “American Electorate Has New Face for 2012 Race” – Jan. 24, 2012
• “Financing Campaigns” – Jan. 4, 2012
• “U.S. Political Parties: An Ongoing Evolution” – Dec. 5, 2011
• “How Raucous Is the Caucus?”  – Nov. 9, 2011
• “Federal Election Commission Regulates Presidential Campaigns” – Nov. 2, 2011
• “U.S. Federal Offices: Who Can Serve in Washington? – Nov. 2, 2011
• “2012 U.S. Elections the First Influenced by “Super PACs” – Nov. 1, 2011
• “Road to the White House Is Paved with Delegates” – Nov. 1, 2011