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Election Law Research Guide

I. Introduction

This guide is intended as a starting point for research in the law of elections (including campaign finance, election administration, and voting rights) at Georgetown Law Library. It includes both primary and secondary materials, in both print and electronic formats.

If you have questions, please feel free to contact the Library's Reference Desk, at 202-662-9140 or by email.

II. Key Resources

Federal Election Campaign Financing Guide KF4920.A6 C6

• CCH looseleaf covering law governing political campaign contributions under the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971. Also includes the full-text of FEC regulations and explanations, advisory opinions and FEC compliance forms and campaign guides.

Money & Politics Report (BNA) Also available in print KF4885.A15 B6

• Provides daily coverage of campaign finance reform, new lobbying regulations, and government ethics issues at federal, state, and local levels. Georgetown Law faculty and students may sign up to receive daily newsletter online.

Election Law Journal K5 .L43 , Also available online

"Covers complicated legal issues surrounding elections and voter rights, including election monitoring, contested elections, election technology, and issues of campaign finance. The Journal contains full text documents of important cases in election law along with extensive analysis. It is the only Journal focused on total coverage of the field of election law, a growing area of specialization both for practicing attorneys and academics. The Journal covers local, state, Federal and constitutional laws and practices as they apply to government elections."

Election Law: Cases and Materials KF 4920 .L69 2008

• by Daniel Hays Lowenstein, Richard L. Hasen & Dan Tokaji. Coverage includes the right to vote, voter turnout, legislative districting, the Voting Rights Act, racial gerrymandering, ballot propositions, constitutional rights and obligations of political parties, bribery,election administration, regulation of campaign speech, campaign finance, and term limits.

Law of Democracy: Legal Structure of the Political Process KF4880.A7 I85 2007

• Explores the legal construction of American democracy. Covers voting rights, racial gerrymandering, political parties, campaign-finance reform, and minority representation.

Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. Elections JK1967 .C662 2010

• Provides comprehensive treatment and information about America's electoral political parties, presidential, congressional and gubernatorial elections, and their historical development.

III. Election Statistics

America Votes JK1967 .A8

• Provides state voting statistics for presidential, gubernatorial, and Congressional elections. Current edition only in reference. Older editions shelved in stacks.

National Election Studies (NES)

• "The mission of the National Election Studies (NES) is to produce high quality data on voting, public opinion, and political participation that serve the research needs of social scientists, teachers, students, policy makers and journalists concerned with the theoretical and empirical foundations of mass politics in a democratic society."

Federal Election Campaign Reports

• The FEC provides a searchable database of campaign finance reports.

IV. Treatises and In-Depth Resources

Because there is no treatise on election law, we recommend using one of the leading casebooks:

Election Law: Cases and Materials KF 4920 .L69 2008

• by Daniel Hays Lowenstein, Richard L. Hasen & Dan Tokaji. Coverage includes the right to vote, voter turnout, legislative districting, the Voting Rights Act, racial gerrymandering, ballot propositions, constitutional rights and obligations of political parties, bribery,election administration, regulation of campaign speech, campaign finance, and term limits.

Law of Democracy: Legal Structure of the Political Process KF4880.A7 I85 2007

• by Samuel Issacharoff, Pamela S. Karlan, Richard H. Pildes. Explores the legal construction of American democracy. Covers voting rights, racial gerrymandering, political parties, campaign-finance reform, and minority representation.

Corporate Political Activities: Complying with Campaign Finance, Lobbying & Ethics Laws KF4920.Z9 C67

• This compilation of handouts of an annual CLE on corporate political activites includes overviews of PACs, federal and state lobbying Laws, HLOGA, federl and state campaign laws, and criminal enforcement of election laws. It has several helpful charts comparing state and federal laws.

Conduct a subject search of Gulliver for "Election Law -- United States" for additional resources.

V. Research Guides and Tutorials

Appendix: Election Law Research Guide in Election Law: Cases and Materials KF 4920 .L69 2008

VI. Primary Law Resources

Code of Federal Regulations (Links to the CFR are available on the Library's Administrative Law Guide)

• The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) is the codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government. It is divided into 50 titles that represent broad areas subject to Federal regulation. Each volume of the CFR is updated once each calendar year and is issued on a quarterly basis.

VII. Government Resources

Federal Elections Commission (FEC)

• The FEC was created to administer and enforce laws regulating federal election campaigns. The web site provides campaign finance information and general information about the Commission.

Election Assistance Commission (EAC)

• Created by the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), the EAC is charged with issuing guidance to states about HAVA. It collects information on election administration issues such as turnout, voting methods, voting systems, and registration.

IIX. Associations and Organizations

Campaign Finance Institute

• "A non-partisan, non-profit institute, affiliated with The George Washington University, that conducts objective research and education, empanels task forces and makes recommendations for policy change in the field of campaign finance." The web site provides access to some of its reports and research results.

Election Law @ Moritz

• " Election Law @ Moritz is a web publication that covers developments in the law of election administration-- laws dealing with voter registration, voter ID, early and absentee voting, provisional balloting, poll workers and polling place procedures, recounts and election contests, and other related issues. " It also collects documents in major pending election law cases.   This is a non-partisan institute affiliated with Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.

Brennan Center for Justice

• " [ a] non-partisan public policy and law institute that focuses on fundamental issues of democracy and justice. Our work ranges from voting rights to redistricting reform, from access to the courts to presidential power in the fight against terrorism."

Electionline.org

• (A project of Pew Center on the States) follows election law related news and writes annual reports on the states of elections as well as reports on topical election issues.

Initiative & Referendum Institute

• Reports and statistics on the use of these direct democracy tools.

Miller-Rose Institute Initiative Database

• "This database provides information on all statewide initiatives adopted by voters in the United States from the first successful statewide initiative in 1904 through 2011."

IX. Blogs

Election Law (Rick Hasen's web log)

• The law of politics and the politics of law: election law, the California recall, campaign finance, legislation, voting rights, initiatives, redistricting. Includes a repository of election law course materials.

Election Updates

• "New research, analysis and commentary on election reform, voting technology, and election administration."

Brookings Institute Campaign Finance Blog

Votelaw

Equal Vote

More Soft Money Hard Law

• Focuses on campaign finance reform

Links 09/11 (MK)
Updated Jan. 26, 2009 (SAS)

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