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Argument Synthesis Essay: 2016 Presidential Election: Recommended Websites

For Janet Addison's class

Non-Partisan Coverage/Fact Checking

Here are some websites that provide non-partisan information, facts and overviews of each candidate, allowing you to compare and contrast their platforms.

Campaign Contributions

Federal Election Commission (FEC)

The Federal Election Commission is an "independent regulatory agency," charged to "disclose campaign finance information, to enforce the provisions of the law such as the limits and prohibitions on contributions, and to oversee the public funding of the Presidential elections." The site has an entire section devoted to the 2016 Presidential Election.You will find campaign reports, maps, finance summaries and more.

Open Secrets.org

OpenSecrets.org is an amazing site for tracking election contributions and spending. It provides figures for top contributors, contributions by industry, political actions committees (PAC), and donors, personal finances and  travel expenses of the candidates and expenditures of the candidate's campaigns. This site tracks money given by geography, interest groups, and more. It also provides news stories about the candidates, legislation they have sponsored, and a breakdown of earmarks.

Election Polls

FiveThirtyEight

As stated on the web site, the goal of FiveThirtyEight is to help New York Times readers make sense of several different topics, politics included, "largely thought statistical means." 

This site has become known for its polls focusing on major elections, the presidential election being no exception. It features nation and state poll projections as well other project analysis. This site also includes a list of other helpful resources and a blog.

Gallup

Gallup is a well respected name in the field. As stated formerly on the web site, "Gallup's reputation for delivering relevant, timely, and visionary research on what people around the world think and feel is the cornerstone of the organization." Be sure to check out their page on the 2016 elections.

The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press

Like Gallup, the Pew Center is another big and reliable name in the field. Though the interface tends to change as polls are conducted monthly, the site currently has a section entitled, "Election 2016."