Website Evaluators Tori Austin – Education Service Center, Texas Website Reviewer and Compiler Gail Lindenberg-Nogales High School, California Site Ratings
1 = Poor 2 = Fair 3 = Good 4 = Excellent Campaign Finance: Project Vote Smart
Russell Curtis – Ripley Union Lewis Huntington High School, Ohio
Cissy Dowdy – Southside High School, Arkansas
Axel Ramierez – Lakeridge Junior High School, Utah
Liz Russell – The Learning Company, California
Greg Stock – Centennial High School, Illinois
Gloria Waggoner – Gunnison High School, Colorado
Maintained by Project Vote Smart, this site contains an introduction to campaign financing in the U.S. It explains who may contribute, contribution limits, and a definition of political
action committees (PACs). This site also provides links to "Presidential Campaign Finance Data" (from the 1996 election), "Congressional Campaign Finances", "Supporting Federal Candidates: A Guide For Citizens" (an Internet
publication explaining how to participate in Federal elections in compliance with the law), and the "Federal Election Commission (FEC)". It also has a "Campaign Finance Issue Info" link which will connect the user to other organizations and
sources of information on campaign financing. Project Vote Smart has also compiled information on over 13,000 candidates and elected officials, including the President, Congress, governors, and state legislators. To help voters
make an informed decision about who they elect, the site provides biographies, campaign finances, issue positions, performance evaluations, and voting records for current elected officials and those who run for office. This information
can be accessed by using the "Candidates & Elected Officials" link at the bottom of the page. The volume of information available and the speed with which it can be accessed make this a top choice for an examination of a
political campaign. The "Question & Answer" format is a great way for students to access the information quickly. So You Want to Buy a President?
Overall Rating: 4
The role of money in presidential campaigns, profiles of major contributors, commentary from political analysts and a former candidate and a glossary of finance jargon offer visitors to the site access
to several links which will further understanding of the "game" of fund-raising. Sections are titled: Money Charts (how much money has been raised by the candidates in the past), The Players (those people instrumental in
raising funds), The Interviews (with presidential candidates and professional fund raisers), and Feedback. Photos and political cartoons make this site graphically appealing. Excerpts of conversations with individuals
who are in office, who have formerly sought office, and who analyze the "politics of politics" provide an enlightening and rather frank look into the role money plays for candidates. An interesting discussion of the lengths to
which politicians often go to raise funds provides a good basis for controversy and discussion. An excellent link allows visitors to view candidates' financial disclosures for the 2000 campaign, to compare financial figures of past
campaigns, to look at the issue of publicly funded campaigns, and to discuss the influence that "big" money can bring to the Oval Office. The site is a good one for high school age students and for teacher planning.
Upper level middle or Jr. High students may be able to make strong connections to the information. The home page has a link for teachers to access lesson plans for use in their classrooms. The site has primary source material and
political analysis. Created by PBS, well maintained and updated regularly, it will likely be in existence for a long time. The site developers can be contacted through e-mail. It is graphically appealing, with lots of
color, movement and photos. Also, the information is presented in an unusual way beginning with the title, "So You Want to Buy a President?" The 1992 Presidential Debate at Michigan State University
Overall Rating: 4
This site contains items related to the Presidential debate held on the campus of Michigan State University on October 19, 1992 between candidates George Bush, Bill Clinton and Ross Perot.
Moderated by Jim Lehrer of PBS TV, it is a multimedia transcript of the debate with photos of the candidates as well as audio and text versions. This site contains primary resources not easily available elsewhere. It has
clear value for classroom teachers. The debates offer information to the voting public an arena where the candidates could air their stance on the issues of the time. This site provides electronic as well as text files from a
previous presidential debate. The combination of the two forms makes the site more accessible to a variety of ability levels. However, an understanding of debate process as well as "look fors" are needed to facilitate a
thorough understanding of the role of debates in politics. A comparison of debates throughout the history of Presidential elections would be an interesting extension. The Lincoln/Douglas debates might be compared to the
"glamorous" 1992 debates or use of the Nixon/Kennedy debates would be appropriate. Teachers might use this site as a model for mock debates in their own classrooms. The site was created by Michigan State
University and site developers can be reached by e-mail. The developers do not seem to have an agenda of their own. They present each of the candidates equally and do not favor one over the other.
Media Studies
Overall Rating: 4
This collection of briefs provides an interesting look at the voting trends of various age groups, the media sources on which voters rely for information, and the differences among genders with
regard to voter turnout and information sources. The information was collected through the polling process. One interesting brief analyzes the role of polls and the effectiveness in predicting voter turnout and trends. There
are graphic representations of the findings throughout the four briefs. The information is copyrighted material, however, the proper citation form is indicated for users. The information is appropriate for high school age students
who are studying the role and trend of voters. Interesting connections would be to look at the 2000 campaign, campaigns of the past, or to conduct their own "mini-survey" using the questions from the poll. The site
connects to links that answer questions such as: Do voters pay attention to the news media? Are voters satisfied with campaign coverage? Does the media help Americans decide how to vote? When is a poll newsworthy?
Do women rely less or more on a variety of news media than men? To whom does political talk radio appeal? Teachers will find the information and graphic representations highly valuable in planning and facilitating the instructional
process. Presidential Primaries
Overall Rating: 4
This is a clear, thorough discussion of the development of primaries, types of primaries, current laws (although it's
out of date for CA), and primaries in presidential elections since World War II. It includes an even-handed presentation of arguments for and against regional and national primaries. This information is useful as an overview, but
there is nothing here to help teachers, not even a bibliography. This site will probably be around a long time will not likely be updated. This article has a high school reading level, but words like "venal" will be new to
many kids. The site has no external links or graphics. This is an example of an article that might be handled better in a print encyclopedia, which would probably include a diagram or flow chart to help explain the primary process. Interest Groups
Overall Rating: 3
Excellent presentation of a comprehensive site includes the opportunity to download film footage, audio/sound bytes,
etc. (requires Apple Quick Time – free of charge). Information ranges for ages 3 to 8 and 5 to adult. The site has information on impeachment, biographies with pictures, constitution/amendments, election processes, presidential
programs,"test of strength" (has students test their knowledge of topic), politics and political parties. While it does not include teacher lessons or specific activities it is an excellent source for students to design
"multi-media" presentations. The writers discuss the impact of interest groups and argue their necessity in all political systems. Comparisons are well-done and germane to the topic.
Encyclopedia Americana: Political Action Committees
Overall Rating: 3
This is an article on political action committees. It begins with a definition of what a PAC is and describes the two
main types. Information describes when PACs were first created and why. This article specifies how much money candidates can contribute per election and the percentage of money that has been contributed in past
elections. Links to Politics, General Articles, Encyclopedia Americana Contents, Congress, and George Bush add access to further information. No primary source material, political analysis, skill lessons, or ideas
for projects. This site is maintained by Encyclopedia Americana and therefore will likely be in existence for a long time. It is updated regularly, and the site developers can be contacted through e-mail. This is a
clear and understandable introduction to the subject for high school students. Public Opinion
Overall Rating: 3
This site offers a rather wordy definition of public opinion and a long
discussion of its uses, methods of obtaining, criticism, and history of public opinion research, including recent history. This article lacks any real discussion of "government by public opinion poll" or the increasing reliance on polling by
presidents in the 1990's. This article might be used as background to a study of the role of public opinion in campaigning for the Presidency and in formulating presidential policy, but will not fire students up on this hot topic. While
it contains a bibliography there is nothing more recent than 1986 except for the annual Gallup poll. Some bias in favor of public opinion polls is apparent. The article was written by the Senior Survey Director, National
Opinion Research Center. For example, the director writes, "Their [major opinion polls today] obvious contribution has been to substitute objective measurement of people's opinions and behavior for the guesswork that once
surrounded these matters." White House 2000
Overall Rating: 3
The purpose of this site is tracking the Year 2000 election and it consists of numerous links to sites on parties (both major
and grassroots), candidates, polls, and political humor. It is available in Spanish and French. This is an interesting site which contains links to factual data, excerpts from speeches, candidate and party positions on
issues, as well as humor. There are links to the party platforms, travel information for the candidates, and information of the different primaries and caucus races. The site also provides a link to look at the financial documents
and disclosures of the candidates. The site is really more appropriate for teachers, adults, and older students. The large number of links to a variety of sites can also be overwhelming. The humor sites are a bit
complicated and may confuse students who visit the site. Other potentially helpful links include The New York Times, CNN/Time, Encyclopedia Britannica, USA Today, and MSNBC. It
contains useful information on presidential campaign not easily available elsewhere. It was created by an individual, Professor Avi Bass of Northern Illinois University, who can be reached through his e-mail link. The site appears
to be free from bias and the creator does not appear to be pushing his own personal agenda. There is an icon called "Any Damn Browser."
Overall Rating: 3
The Campaign Process
