Elections 2012

... 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. The electors shall meet in their respective states, and vote by ballot for two persons, of whom one at least shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves. And they shall make a list of all the persons voted for, and of the number of votes for each; which list they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates, and the votes shall then be counted… (Article II of the U.S. Constitution)

General Information

• Federal Election Commission (FEC)
• U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC)
• USA Elections in Brief, U.S. Department of State, updated January 2012
• 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
  Ron Paul | Mitt Romney

CRS Reports
Congressional Research Service/ Library of Congress

Presidential Nominating Process: Current Issues (pdf/306kb), Jan. 27, 2012 | Contemporary Developments in Presidential Elections (pdf/688kb), Jan. 9, 2012 | “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

Election 2012: The African American Vote, with Dr. Lorenzo Morris, May 4, 2012 | Election 2012: The Role of Independents, with Tara McGuinness, April 13, 2012 | The Role of the Media in U.S. Elections, with David Mark, March 23, 2012 | Campaign Finance in U.S. Elections, with R. Sam Garrett, March 16, 2012 | Super Tuesday, with John Zogby, March 6, 2012 | Economic Issues in the 2012 Election, with Thomas Edsall, March 5, 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

Media

The New York Times - Election News | The Washington Post - Campaign 2012 | CNN - Election Center 2012 | National Journal - Election 2012 | The Hill - Campaign | NPR - Election 2012 | Roll Call - Politics | Campaigns & Elections | The Cook Political Report

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

Articles
Bureau of International Information Programs/ U.S. Department of State

"African-American Voters Set to Play Key Role in November Election," May 14, 2012 | "American Political Candidates Need More than Money to Win," March 19, 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