This guide suggests resources and strategies for research on Presidential elections in the United States.

Background Information  |  Facts & Figures  |  Find Articles  |  Find Books  |  Primary Sources  |  People  |  Organizations  |  Web Resources 

Background Information

Encyclopedias and other reference works are an excellent place to start a research project or simply learn more about a particular topic.

American Presidential Campaigns and Elections 
   (R 324.973)
Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. Elections 
   (R 324.973 C76 2001)
Encyclopedia of American Parties, Campaigns, and Elections 
   (R 324.097303 B516e)
Encyclopedia of the American Presidency 
   (R 353.031303 En19)
Encyclopedia of Third Parties in America 
   (R 324.27303 En197)
History of American Presidential Elections, 1789-1968 
   (R 329.023 Sch38h)
National Party Platforms 
   (R 329.02130973 J631n 1978)
Presidential Ballots, 1836-1892 
   (R 324 B935p)
Presidential Vote, 1896-1932 
   (R 324 R561p)

Use dictionaries, statistical works, atlases, handbooks and similar works to find and check facts about topics, people, or events.

America at the Polls: A Handbook of American Presidential Election Statistics, 1920 -1964 
   (R 324.2021 G746a)
America at the Polls, 1960-2000: John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush : a Handbook of American Presidential Election Statistics 
   (R 324.2021 G746a 2001)
America Votes 
   (R 324 Am35)
Statistical History of the American Presidential Elections: with Supplementary Tables Covering 1968-1980 
   (R 324.973  P442s)
Students Atlas of American Presidential Elections, 1789-1996 
   (R 324.973009 Is7s)
United States Presidential Elections, 1788-1860: the Official Results by County and State 
   (R 324. 973 D851up)

 

Search indexes, abstracts, and databases to find journal, magazine, and newspaper articles. 

To find historical/source materials, use the following print sources:

Combined Retrospective Index to Journals in Political Science, 1866-1974   
   (located in Indexes/Abstracts area, main floor)
New York Times Index, 1851+ 
   (located in Index/Abstracts area, main floor)
PAIS International in Print, 1958+ 
   (located in Index/Abstracts area, main floor)
Readers Guide to Periodical Literature, 1900+ 
   (located in Index/Abstracts area, main floor)
Social Sciences Index, 1974+ 
   (located in Index/Abstracts area, main floor)

To find recent articles and scholarly/peer-reviewed articles use the following online databases:

Academic Search Premiere (EBSCOHost)
America: History and Life
GPO (Government Printing Office)  (FirstSearch)
Historical Abstracts
Jstor
MasterFile Elite  (EBSCOHost)
PAIS  (FirstSearch)
Proquest Research Library
Wilson Web Omni File

Use the Kent Library Catalog to find books, periodicals (journals, magazines, & newspapers), videos, government documents and other materials.

Keyword searches allow you to use your own words as search terms.
Subject heading searches use Library of Congress subject headings. Printed volumes of LC subject headings are located near the Reference Desk on the main floor.  For example, you might use:

Presidents-United States-Biography
Presidents-United States-Election
Presidents-United States-History

Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States
(Papers for the two most recent Presidents: R 353.035 Un3)
(Papers from prior Presidents: GS4.113)

Learn about important people related to this topic.

American Presidents 
   (R 923.173 Am3573 2000)
Presidential Also-Rans and Running Mates, 1788 through 1996
   (R 324.973 So89p)
Presidents: a Biographical Dictionary
   (R 923.173 H18p)
 

Professional organizations and/or societies often provide very useful topic related information.

American Political Science Association
   http://www.apsanet.org/
Center for the Study of the Presidency
   http://www.thepresidency.org/
League of Women Voters
   http://www.lwv.org/
Presidency Research Group
   http://cstl-cla.semo.edu/Renka/PRG/index.asp

Online information related to the topic of American Presidential Elections.

American Presidency Project
   http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/index.php
Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections
   http://www.uselectionatlas.org
Gallup Poll Election History
   http://www.gallup.com/content/?ci=1210
National and State Voter Registration and Turnout in Presidential Elections, 1960-1992
   http://www.fec.gov/votregis/turn/turn.htm
U.S. Presidential Election Maps, 1860-1996
   http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/collections/stats/elections/maps