Election 2008

Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008, is a date that will live in fame (the opposite of infamy) forever. If the election of our first African-American president didn’t stir you, if it didn’t leave you teary-eyed and proud of your country, there’s something wrong with you.

But will the election also mark a turning point in the actual substance of policy? Can Barack Obama really usher in a new era of progressive policies? Yes, he can.  read more »

Back in the summer of 2007, Sen. Barack Obama stood near a community center with D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and said: "Folks in D.C. still don't have a voice in their national government. That's wrong. Residents shouldn't be treated like tenants."

Now that Obama (D) is poised to become the 44th president and both houses of Congress are majority Democratic, District leaders and activists say they're in the best position ever to secure representation for the city on Capitol Hill.  read more »

CHICAGO -- Armed with millions of e-mail addresses and a political operation that harnessed the Internet like no campaign before it, Barack Obama will enter the White House with the opportunity to create the first truly "wired" presidency.

Obama aides and allies are preparing a major expansion of the White House communications operation, enabling them to reach out directly to the supporters they have collected over 21 months without having to go through the mainstream media.  read more »

Record Latino voter turnout puts Latino issues at the forefront

November 5, 2008  read more »

LOS ANGELES, November 6, 2008 – Asian American voters in Los Angeles County supported Barack Obama on Election Day, according to exit poll data released today by the Asian Pacific American Legal Center.

For link to complete report, click here.  read more »

On Monday, I identified four problem areas to watch out for on Election Day: 1) lines at the polls, 2) voting equipment, 3) voter registration lists, and 4) provisional and absentee ballots. While machine breakdowns and polling place lines got the lion's share public attention on Election Day, a closer look reveals that voter registration was the election administration issue of 2008. Looking forward, it is imperative that policymakers consider changes to voter registration that would eliminate unnecessary barriers to participation and reduce the need for provisional ballots.  read more »

THE PASSAGE in California this week of a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage was a profound disappointment. The vote came after gay-rights advocates legally challenged a 2000 referendum that defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman.  read more »

When problems occur in elections, it's often not until after the polls close that information about them begins to trickle out.

This is the period when officials are scanning and counting mail-in ballots, completing tabulations, determining which elections may require a recount, and beginning their canvassing to certify the election results.  read more »

Voters around the country are experiencing problems this morning as voting machines break down and long lines form.

There are only a few surprises among the issues voters are reporting, since we've seen many of the same problems in past elections.  read more »

PRINCETON, NJ -- The final pre-election Gallup Poll Daily tracking survey of nearly 2,500 likely voters shows that Barack Obama won the 2008 presidential election with practically total support from black Americans, and heavy backing from those with postgraduate educations, young adults (male and female alike), and non-churchgoers. At least 6 in 10 voters in all of these categories cast their votes for Obama.  read more »