Internet By Subject - Government

Developed by Connie Fly, Librarian

California State Government

Executive - Legislative - Judicial

• California Ballot Propositions - developed by the Los Angeles County Law Library - Contains information on all California Ballots from 1984 to the present with updates following each election involving ballot measures.  The Description includes the bolded number of the proposition, the title(s) for the ballot measures as printed as the heading in the voter pamphlet and any additional popular or alternative names of acts are listed in parenthesis. Finally, the statutes and bill numbers are included for ballot measures created by legislative efforts. The Summary is a synopsis of the proposition nearly word for word as it appeared in the ballot pamphlet. Lastly, Citation information includes sections to be affected if the measure passes.
• California Courts and Judicial System -
• California Electronic Government Information - Hypertext links and resource descriptions for over 250 California state, regional and municipal databases.
• California Government - Index -   Provides links to the  Constitutional Officers, the Legislature, Local government, and California Courts web pages.  A good place to begin your research about California.
• California Local Government Finance Almanac - "Data, statistics, analyses, and articles on California city and county finance." Topics include vehicle license fees (VLF), state and local fiscal relationships, legislation, and property taxes. Provides links to government and other related sites. The author "is the League of California Cities' chief fiscal advisor, and is closely involved with proposals to reform local government finance."
• California State Assembly
• California Secretary of State
• California State Constitution - The complete text of California's constitution can be read here article by article or searched by keyword. From the Legislative Counsel of California.
• California State Senate
• Guide to Accessing the California Legislative Information on the Internet - Information regarding matters pending before the Legislature has been available to the citizens of California in printed form since 1849. That same information is now available on the Internet pursuant to California law. This Public Access guide is designed to assist the general public in obtaining legislative information from the Public Access computer over the Internet.
• Easy Voter -- Nonpartisan Information for New Voters and Busy Voters in California! - Easy-to-use nonpartisan information for Californians about voter registration, choosing a political party, and voting. The Easy Reading Voter Guide includes statewide parties, candidates, ballot measures, and more. The site also features a countdown clock for "the deadline to sign up to vote for the next California election." This site is maintained by Literacyworks and includes the California State Library as a project partner.
• NCSL Legislative Tracking Database -  The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) tracks state legislation related to highway safety issues such as aggressive driving, air bags, cell phones, child passenger seats, motorcycle helmets, etc.
• LexisOne:  California Resource Center - Provides links to California State Home Pages, Statewide Offices, Legislative Branch, Judicial Branch, Rules of Courts & Forms, Executive Branch, Boards & Commissions, Regions, Counties and Libraries. 
• Official California Legislative Information - Full text bills, resolutions and constitutional amendments, and a directory of legislators. The California Law section consists of 29 codes covering various subject areas, the State Constitution and Statutes.
• State and Local Government on the Net - A resource guide to government sponsored Internet sites.

Elections, Background Information and Analysis

• CA Secretary of State - Election Web Site - This important web site provides:  the California election calendar, Voter Information Guide & Ballot Pamphlet, live election returns, campaign finance information and a list of candidates.
• California Project Vote Smart - This is a national non-partisan, non-profit organization that researches, tracks and provides to the public independent factual information on over 13,000 candidates and elected officials. It covers legislative, congressional and presidential election 2000 information, and current and historical ballot measures. Historical information includes: voting records in over 20 issue areas, biographical details of service in Congress, performance evaluations by liberal and conservative organizations and who has paid for campaigns.
• California Voter Foundation - A non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to shaping a more informed electorate. A wealth of information about how California government works.
• Find Your Assembly District - Not sure what assembly district you live in? Type your address in the form and  you will see who your Assembly member is. As a bonus, you will also see a map of your district showing your location and the member's district office.
• League of Women Voters of California - This non-profit organization's goal is to direct citizens to information that will encourage informed political actions including voting, communicating with elected representatives, or running for political office.
•  Candidate Profiles (The Center for Responsible Politics) - On this site you’ll find current numbers on races in every state and congressional district in the nation. You can compare the candidates by the size and source of their contributions, the industries and interest groups that are supporting them, where the money is coming from geographically, and much more.
• Tulare County Elections  - Local election information to include:  where to vote, information on candidates and issues, election returns, and absentee ballot application.

Local and Regional Information

• California Cities - League of California Cities - Link to the organization dealing with all 470 California cities; learn about educational programs, legislative advocacy and research available from the League.
• County of Tulare - Information & Resources
• Ordinance Codes: County of Tulare
• Visalia City Ordinance - Provides the full-text to almost all titles of the Visalia Municipal Code.

Statistics

• California County Profiles
• Population Statistics - U.S. Census
• Vital Statistics Tables- The Vital Statistics Query System has been developed to provide an interactive Internet interface to obtain tabular summaries and statistical reports from California's birth and death vital statistics databases

Federal Government

General Information and Internet Gateways

• FedWorld Information Network Home Page - In 1992, FedWorld was established by The National Technical Information Service( NTIS), an agency of the U.S Department of Commerce, to serve as the online locator service for a comprehensive inventory of information disseminated by the Federal Government. What FedWorld can offer is a comprehensive central access point for searching, locating, ordering and acquiring government and business information.
• UMich Documents Center - The Documents Center is a central reference and referral point for government information, whether local, state, federal, foreign or international. Its web pages are a reference and instructional tool for government, political science, statistical data, and news.
• US Government Information on the Web Subject Index - Locate by subject or keyword a wide array of government documents indexed from government documents library Web pages. The list of the libraries and other groups whose subject pages were used is on the main page. Some of the links are to general resource pages; some are to specific electronic publications. 
• US Government Information Sources - An index maintained by the National Technology Transfer Center (NTTC) of 950+ government WWW sites
• US Government Manual 2004-2005   As the official handbook of the Federal Government, The United States Government Manual provides comprehensive information on the agencies of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. The Manual also includes information on quasi-official agencies; international organizations in which the United States participates; and boards, commissions, and committees.

Executive - Legislative - Judicial

• Budget of the U.S. Government -  Particularly nice about this Office of Management and Budget site are the highlighted features, which call attention to major shifts in governmental expenditures, such as the current war against terrorism and protecting the homeland, as well as the thinking that went into their distribution. The site also features the full text of the Budget Message of the President and direct links to all of the budget elements, including separate links to each governmental office or department and its budgetary allotments and projections. Aside from the budget for the year to come, the site also analyses the budget in historical context.
• Electronic Policy Network - A consortium of top public policy organizations and advocacy groups, the Electronic Policy Network provides timely information and leading ideas about the policies and politics that shape our world. Since its founding in 1995 by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Paul Starr and The American Prospect magazine, EPN has grown to include over 60 member organizations, whose work tackles topics ranging from economic policy to civic participation, health care to foreign policy, and education to Social Security. 
• Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Results - This atlas provides U.S. Presidential Results back to 1789.  Results can be selected by year, state or primary.
• Federal Government: Executive Branch - Maintained by the Library of Congress, provides a directory of links to official federal government web sites
• The U.S. Legislative Branch - Maintained by the Library of Congress, covers all facets of the House of Representatives and the Senate with links to each of their Web sites.
• GPO Gate - GPO Access - UCSD - Search among this growing list of government documents; Federal Register, the Congressional Record, Congressional Bills, United States Code, Economic Indicators and GAO Reports
• Oyez Project a U.S. Supreme Court Multimedia Database - Created by Northwestern University the OYEZ Project is a historical repository of multimedia resources covering more than 1200 cases from 1789 to the present and containing more than 1500 hours of oral argument in cases argued from 1955 through 1998.  The OYEZ Project now comprises more than 900 hours of audio materials, summaries of 1,000-plus Supreme Court opinions, biographical materials on all 108 justices, and a QuickTime virtual-reality tour of the Supreme Court building.
• President - Links are provided to archival materials for the last 12 presidents.  Links are also provided to the ten presidential libraries administered by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). 
• Selected Historic Decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court
• Supreme Court Decisions Homepage - Consists of over 7000 Supreme Court opinions dating from 1937 through 1975, from volumes 300 through 422 of U.S. Reports.
• THOMAS: Legislative Information on the Internet - Access to major legislation, the Congressional Record, committee information, and historical documents.
• U.S. Congressional Bibliographies - Comprehensive Lists of Hearings, Prints, and Publications Printed by the Senate, 1983 to the Present Searchable Senate lists and "lists of House committee meetings recorded in the Congressional Record's Daily Digest, 1985 to present," listed by congress. The Senate list contains report cards with a statistical summary for each committee, the number of hearings produced, and more. There are links to hearings available on the Web. Compiled by librarian John A. McGeachy, North Carolina State University.
• United States Constitution - Full text
• United States Department of Justice Home Page
• U.S. Federal Government Agencies
• U.S. National Debt Clock
• Welcome To The White House

Elections, Background Information and Analysis

• AllPolitics - a joint effort of CNN and Time.
• American Political Science Association
• Center for Responsive Politics - A non-profit, non-partisan group that studies how campaign finances may influence elections and the political decision making process. On this site you’ll find current presidential and congressional candidates running in the election year 2000. You can compare the candidates by the size and source of their contributions, the industries and interest groups that are supporting them, where the money is coming from geographically, and much more.
• Commission on Federal Debates - Provides transcripts of current and past presidential debates.
• C-Span Capitol Spotlight - A joint service of C-Span and Congressional Quarterly, Inc., _Capitol Spotlight_ is an online newsletter highlighting events and issues on Capitol Hill.  Each week that Congress is in session, Capitol Spotlight's content will focus on a key vote. Features include key vote preview stories and interviews, interactive chats with experts, and vote results and breakdowns by party. This is a good resource for those interested in government because top editors from C-Span and Congressional Quarterly are tracking bills, gleaning committee news, and generally keeping their ears to the ground for you with regard to national politics. Live hearings and archived videos of news conferences round out the site
• C-SPAN WWW networks - C-SPAN is a public service created by the American cable television industry: Its mission is:  (1) To provide C-SPAN's audience access to the live gavel-to-gavel proceedings of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, and to other forums where public policy is discussed, debated and decided--all without editing, commentary or analysis and with a balanced presentation of points of view. (2) To provide elected and appointed officials and others who would influence public policy a direct conduit to the audience without filtering or otherwise distorting their points of view.
• Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Results - This atlas provides U.S. Presidential Results back to 1789.  Results can be selected by year, state or primary.
• The Democracy Network - A project of the League of Women Voters Education Fund & The Center for Governmental Studies.  Offers voter information and party and candidate positions in all 50 states.
• Federal Election Commission - An independent regulatory agency whose mission is to: disclose campaign finance information, enforce limits, prohibitions and other provisions of the election law, and to administer the public funding of presidential elections.
• Global Policy Forum: Home Page - Monitors global policy making at the United Nations.  Current issues include:  Iraq Crisis and Afghanistan
• Policy.com- Home Page - A non-partisan public policy agency that showcases leading research, opinions and events shaping public policy. It features news and events, interaction, research, a student union, and links to other web sites.
• Public Agenda Online: Public Opinion and Public Policy - These guides offer a nonpartisan briefing on policy and polling --including "red flags" where poll results may be misleading; a digest of news, legislation, and studies; research sources -- and much more.
• Think Tanks and Policy Groups
• Think Tanks and Research Institutes - Annotated links to think tanks and research institutes, with mission statements.  
• U.S. Electoral College Homepage - Here is assembled a variety of information and statistics on presidential elections, past and present: including the 2000 presidential election.
• Vote Smart Web - Tracks the performance of over 13,000 political leaders. Contains voting records, campaign finance data, special interests performances evaluations, issue positions and backgrounds of candidates and elected officials nationwide.

Statistics

• Fedstats: One Stop Shopping for Federal Statistics - provides statistics from over 70 federal agencies

Campaign Finance

• Campaign Finance Information Center - The Campaign Finance Information Center is dedicated to helping journalists and others follow the campaign money trail -- on the national, state and local levels. 

Political Parties

• Political Resources on the Net - links to parties, movements, organizations and governments grouped by country.
• Yahoo! - U.S. Political Parties - Links to political parties in the United States.

Public Opinion

• The Gallup Organization - Claims to bet he world's oldest and most accurate public opinion poll. The Gallup Poll has reported the standings and comparative strengths of U.S. presidential candidates on a continuous basis since the organization's founding in 1935.
• Polling Report - An independent, nonpartisan resource on trends in American public opinion.
• The Roper Center - Founded in 1947, the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research is the leading educational facility in the field of public opinion. The Center exists to promote the intelligent, responsible and imaginative use of public opinion in addressing the problems faced by Americans and citizens of other nations. In an increasingly complex and interdependent global environment, the Roper Center hopes to foster increased international understanding and to promote cross-national research. 

Voting  Machines & Technology

• Directory of California Voting Systems - A county-by-county directory of voting systems and equipment used in California's 58 counties as of August, 2003
• Project Voting and Usability - From the Usability Professionals’ Association (UPA). Topics include voting machines, usability standards, the 2003 California gubernatorial recall election, butterfly ballots, and cases for and against computerized/touch screen voting.

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For Questions and Comments, please mail to: connief@cos.edu