National Voter Registration Day
From the State of Washington's Secretary of State:
Three Ways to Register
It's easy and secure to register online, by mail with a paper form, or at a county elections office. Check your registration at VoteWA.gov.
Voting by Mail FAQ
Everything about voting in Washington. Additional quick links to USPS and Election Mail Resources.
What if I miss the deadline to register online or by mail?
Washington offers same day registration services through election day. After the 8-day deadline, you must register (or update) in person at a voting center. Contact your local county elections office for details.
Confirm your voter registration:
Washington Voter Registration Database Extract
Track Your Ballot
Washington State Voter Portal
AllSides
"We use media bias ratings to provide balanced news, perspectives and issues across the political spectrum."
Axios Pro Policy
"Get the latest policy news and insights from top journalists in your industry. Your personal policy analyst is here. Trusted by lawmakers across Washington."
ElectionLine
"Electionline is America's only source for politics-free news and information about the people and processes that guide our nation's elections."
The Hill
"A top US political website, read by the White House and more lawmakers than any other site -- vital for policy, politics and election campaigns."
POLITICO
"POLITICO is the global authority on the intersection of politics, policy, and power.
ProPublica
"An independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest."
FiveThirtyEight
"Check out our popular polling averages."
The Hill's Election Center
"Your ultimate hub for everything related to the 2024 election. Dive into the most comprehensive collection of polls across the nation, forecast the presidency, House, and Senate outcomes, and explore detailed results for every primary and general election as soon as they are called."
RealClearPolitics
"An independent, non-partisan media company that is the trusted source for the best news, analysis and commentary."
RealClearPolling
"Stay up to date on all the latest 2024 election and state of the union polls. Gain valuable insights into the evolving political landscape and stay ahead of the latest trends."
“Sabato’s Crystal Ball is a comprehensive, nonpartisan political analysis and handicapping newsletter run by the University of Virginia Center for Politics.”
“The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter provides independent, non-partisan analysis of elections and campaigns for the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, Governors and President as well as American political trends. Founded by Charlie Cook in 1984, the CPR is the preeminent prognosticator and producer of federal and state election ratings and is routinely sourced by national and local media, political professionals, educators and researchers.”
“We use data and evidence to advance public knowledge — adding certainty where we can and uncertainty where we must.”
2024 Election Curriculum for Middle and High School Classrooms
"Equipping Communities To Navigate The Values, Beliefs And Identities Essential To Them."
Close Up
"Close Up Foundation is the leader in civic education, classroom discourse, and exciting hands-on student travel programs."
How Elections Happen
"In this Learning Adventure, we will be learning about the election process for Federal officials, specifically the President and Vice President, Senators, and Representatives. "
News Literacy Project - Free Election Season Resources
"Before you vote, spot sophisticated fabrications to determine what's real and what's not."
Strategies for Teaching the 2024 Election
"We educators have a particularly unusual, perhaps unique, challenge on our hands this year—how to teach about this fall’s elections, especially given that the Republican presidential nominee is a convicted felon and the likely Democratic nominee is a late replacement for the sitting president..."
Teaching about the 2024 Election & Educating for Civic Participation.
"Resources to promote students’ historical knowledge through critical thinking & empathy."
Steps to Becoming President of the U.S.
"Poster to view or download to help kids understand the process of becoming President of the United States."
Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies (CCPS)
"American University’s Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies (CCPS) serves scholars, students, policymakers and the public by propelling actionable research, providing public education and promoting a more reasonable democratic square."
Comparative Study of Electoral Systems (CSES)
"The CSES is a collaborative program of research among election study teams from around the world."International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES)
"The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) supports citizens' rights to participate in free and fair elections."
American National Election Studies (ANES)
"To serve the research needs of social scientists, teachers, students, policy makers and journalists, the ANES produces high quality data from its own surveys on voting, public opinion, and political participation. Central to this mission is the active involvement of the ANES research community in all phases of the project."
Below is a list of some of the popular assessments of personal political tendencies. These are offered for your amusement and possible bemusement. You, ultimately, are the one to determine how to identify yourself politically.
Developmental Politics
"Are you ready to become part of the solution to America’s hyper-partisan polarization? Take the first step by understanding your own worldview and discovering how to integrate diverse values harmoniously."
Ideoshapes
Ideoshapes is a political quiz which will determine where your leanings are and by how much on eight different political axes.
Political Compass
"It’s timely to stress that The Political Compass has been on the internet since 2001. The uniqueness of our take on politics is reflected in the gratifyingly enthusiastic reviews we’ve enjoyed in the national media of many countries from our earliest years — as well as from many teachers and academics who continue to use our work."
Political Typology Quiz
"Take our quiz to find out which one of our nine political typology groups is your best match, compared with a nationally representative survey of more than 10,000 U.S. adults by Pew Research Center."
Political Spectrum Test
"Welcome to the "Political Spectrum Test: What Political Ideology Am I?" quiz, a journey into the complex landscape of political beliefs. "
World's Smallest Political Quiz
"Take the World’s Smallest Political Quiz and find out in a fast and fun way where your overall political views sit on a multi-spectrum political map"
Democratic Vs. Republican Jobs: Is Your Job Red Or Blue?
"Nearly half of Americans talk politics at work. However, depending on your job, what that conversation sounds like might vary. It could be pretty liberal, pretty right, or somewhere in the middle.
Democratic vs. Republican occupations
"Most librarians are Democrats. Most farmers are Republicans. As a group, doctors are in the middle, though pediatricians lean left and urologists right."
How College Makes Citizens: Higher Education Experiences and Political Engagement
"The aim of this study is to test the independent effect of higher education completion on three forms of postgraduation political engagement, using national longitudinal data and controlling for selection into college completion using control-function models"
National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement
"We are a leading venue for nonpartisan, applied research, resources, and advocacy on college student political learning and engagement in democracy."
Political Diversity Across Academic Disciplines
“Inbar and Lammers (2012) asked members of APA Division 8 (Personality and Social Psychology) about their political orientation, hostility experienced related to their political orientation, and their willingness to discriminate against others based on perceived political orientation. In this replication and extension, 618 faculty members from various academic disciplines across four California State University campuses completed an online questionnaire”
Professors work to increase low STEM student voting rates
"STEM students vote at lower rates than college students overall. Experts say that connecting their course material to what's on the ballot"
Which sectors of the economy do Americans think are liberal and conservative?
'In our latest poll of 1,000 U.S. adult citizens about economic sectors, we look at how Americans perceive the political ideology of workers within American industries."
Your Major on the Ballot
"This resource was created by Emma Godel, a student from American University, as part of the 2022 Codesigner Cohort."
The following graphics offer different perspectives on the political biases of many US media outlets. While they are not uniform in their assessment, they offer guidance on how various sites lean and how extreme these sites are.
Seek first to understand, then to be understood
--Attributed to St. Francis
How to talk about politics constructively
"We must begin to talk and, more importantly, listen to those who disagree with us, says Celeste Headlee. She offers 4 smart ways to discuss politics without getting in a fight."
How to Love Someone with Different Political Views
"Navigating a relationship with a partner who has different political views than you do isn’t easy. But it can be done. One shining example is Mary Matalin and James Carville, both are high-profile political consultants. Despite their opposing political views, she’s a libertarian and he’s a democrat, they have been happily married for over 25 years.
Their secret? They don’t discuss politics at home."
How to Talk to Someone With Differing Political Views
"Like it or not, political conversations will inevitably come your way: But knowing how to talk to someone with differing political views is essential to avoiding awkwardness or irritation."
Try These 5 Techniques to Make Your Next Political Argument Fruitful
“Here are five strategies to change someone’s mind (and your own). To illustrate each tactic we have used the example of how to argue for and against gun control.”
Debate Battle: 5 Strategies Politicians Use
“To help you understand the 2016 campaign, here are 5 communication secrets politicians know”
How to Win Your Next Political Argument
“You’ve probably gotten in a political argument in the recent past, whether with your nutso cousin at Thanksgiving or your militantly ignorant co-worker at a happy hour.
And you’ll probably get in another political argument sometime in the near future. Hard as it may be to believe, you can actually win these arguments. Here’s how.”
How to Win Any Debate
“[once] the candidates are done debating, you might find yourself in a debate of your own. If you want this discussion to be more productive than your last argument on Facebook, here are some strategies to help make sure you don’t walk away stressed out, having wasted your time and energy.”
Five tactics to help you win that political argument
“So, in preparation of the upcoming election, I questioned a few folks who I consider expert at witticisms and artful comebacks. They provided me a sort of “how to guide” when it comes to intelligent parrying on social media.”
Most people are bad at arguing. These 2 techniques will make you better
“[our]brains work hard to ensure the integrity of our worldview: We seek out information to confirm what we already know, and are dismissive or avoidant of facts that are hostile to our core beliefs.
But it’s not impossible to make your argument stick. And there’s been some good scientific work on this. Here are two strategies that, based on the evidence, seem promising.”
Duke Reporters' Lab: Fact Checking
"The Reporters’ Lab maintains a database of global fact-checking sites. You can use the map to explore sites around the world or use the menu .
Fact Check (Washington Post)
"The purpose of this Web site, and an accompanying column in the Sunday print edition of The Washington Post, is to “truth squad” the statements of political figures regarding issues of great importance, be they national, international or local."
FactCheck.org
"FactCheck.org is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania....a nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics."
Media Bias/ Fact Check
"The most comprehensive media bias resource on the internet. There are currently 8300+ media sources, journalists, and politicians listed in our database and growing every day."
OpenSecrets.org
"Nonpartisan, independent and nonprofit, the Center for Responsive Politics is the nation's premier research group tracking money in U.S. politics and its effect on elections and public policy."
Politifact
Pulitzer Prize winning site from the Tampa Bay Times. "PolitiFact is a fact-checking website that rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials and others who speak up in American politics.... The PolitiFact state sites are run by news organizations that have partnered with the Times."
SciCheck
"Focuses exclusively on false and misleading scientific claims that are made by partisans to influence public policy. It was launched in January 2015 with a grant from the Stanton Foundation."
Snopes
"The definitive Internet reference source for urban legends, folklore, myths, rumors, and misinformation.
“From misinformation to AI panic, experts joined the Allen Lab’s GETTING-Plurality event to discuss the threats the burgeoning technology poses to democracy.”
How AI Puts Elections at Risk — And the Needed Safeguards
“Widely accessible artificial intelligence tools could fuel the rampant spread of disinformation and create other hazards to democracy.”
How OpenAI is approaching 2024 worldwide elections
“We’re working to prevent abuse, provide transparency on AI-generated content, and improve access to accurate voting information.”
Preparing for Generative AI in the 2024 Election: Recommendations and Best Practices Based on Academic Research
“This document provides a research-based overview of the potential impact of generative AI and offers best practices to safeguard the electoral process.”
The President’s Inbox Recap: AI’s Impact on the 2024 U.S. Elections
“Expect the weaponization of artificial intelligence to further stress American democracy.”
Risk in Focus: Generative A.I. and the 2024 Election Cycle
"As generative Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled capabilities become more widely adopted, it is important for election officials to understand how these capabilities could impact the security and integrity of election infrastructure. AI capabilities present opportunities for increased productivity, potentially enhancing both election security and election administration.”
A Tech Accord to Combat Deceptive Use of AI in 2024 Elections
“This accord seeks to set expectations for how signatories will manage the risks arising from deceptive AI election content created through their publicly accessible, large-scale platforms or open foundational models, or distributed on their large-scale social or publishing platforms in line with their own policies and practices as relevant to the commitments in the accord.”
What does the 2024 election mean for the future of AI
“Artificial intelligence (AI) is likely to reshape nearly every facet of society. While we are far from seeing AI’s full capabilities, the guardrails put in place now will influence how this technology shapes work and productivity, democracy, war and peace, and much more moving forward.”
Data from U.S. 2020 Presidential Election Facebook
“The Social Media Archive (SOMAR) at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research has released data focusing on the impact of Facebook and Instagram on key political attitudes during the U.S. 2020 elections.”
Disinformation, Social Media, and Electoral Integrity
“Online disinformation can amplify voter confusion, reduce turnout, galvanize social cleavages, suppress political participation of women and other marginalized populations, and degrade trust in democratic institutions.”
The Effect of Social Media on Elections
“Our results indicate that Twitter lowered the Republican vote share in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections,but had limited effects on Congressional elections and previous presidential elections. Evidence from survey data, primary elections, and text analysis of millions of tweets suggests that Twitter’s relatively liberal content may have persuaded voters with moderate views to vote against Donald Trump.”
Political Impacts on Media in 2024
“One of the most tumultuous times for media is during election cycles. Whether presidential, midterm or local, elections can affect the entire media ecosystem from inventory to pricing. “
Russia's Use of Social Media
“The new report examines Russia’s efforts to use social media to sow societal discord and influence the outcome of the 2016 election, led by the Kremlin-backed Internet Research Agency (IRA). The analysis draws on data provided to the Committee by social media companies and input from a Technical Advisory Group comprising experts in social media network analysis, disinformation campaigns, and the technical analysis of complex data sets and images to discern the dissemination of disinformation across social media platforms.”
Six ways the media influence elections
“It’s true that the media have played an important role in politics since the First Amendment established freedom of the press as a cornerstone of American democracy. Voters need information to make educated decisions, and it’s journalists’ job to give it to them.”
Social Media Manipulation in the Era of AI
“We have to assume that AI manipulation is ubiquitous, it's proliferating, and we're going to have to learn to live with it. That's a really scary thing.”
Disinformation is often blamed for swaying elections
“Disinformation is often blamed for swaying elections – the research says something else”
Election Misinformation
“False claims have eroded trust in elections and provoked a wave of anti-voter laws. The Brennan Center offers recommendations for how to fight back.”
How Fake News Affects U.S. Elections
“UCF Lecturer Chrysalis Wright, who was appointed to the UN’s Communications Coordination Committee, shares insight on one of the threats to our democracy.”
The Presumed Influence of Election Misinformation on Others Reduces Our Own Satisfaction With Democracy
“We argue the presumed influence of misinformation (PIM) may be just as pernicious, and widespread, as any direct influence that political misinformation may have on voters.“
AI Election Accord
“This accord seeks to set expectations for how signatories will manage the risks arising from deceptive AI election content created through their publicly accessible, large-scale platforms or open foundational models, or distributed on their large-scale social or publishing platforms in line with their own policies and practices as relevant to the commitments in the accord.”
Brennan Center for Justice: Election Misinformation Project
“False claims have eroded trust in elections and provoked a wave of anti-voter laws. The Brennan Center offers recommendations for how to fight back.”
EFF: Electronic Frontier Foundation
“The leading nonprofit defending digital privacy, free speech, and innovation.”
NewsGuard: 2024 Elections Misinformation Elections Tracking Center
“Our team of analysts will keep you up to date as we cover misinformation surrounding this year’s elections in the U.S., EU, and elsewhere around the world.”
News Literacy Project: Flipboard
Here we will share links to articles about misinformation related to the 2024 United States presidential election, including examples and tips on how to avoid falsehoods.
Does it Smell Fishy?
Use the CAARP U test to a source and decide...
Fake news is a global problem and this guide from the International Federation of Library Associations is a helpful tool.
Likewise, the European Association for Viewers' Interests has its own useful guide to types of misleading news
What is Visual Literacy (Ohio Wesleyan University)
Detect Fakes
"In this "Detect Fakes" experiment, brought to you by Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management, you will be presented with a series of images. These images may either be real photographs or AI-generated images. Our aim is to understand how well people can distinguish between real and AI-created images. We ask you to examine each image carefully and share whether you believe it is AI-generated or real, and how confident you are in this judgment." (Requires informed consent)
Detect DeepFakes: How to counteract misinformation created by AI
"How do you spot a DeepFake? How good are DeepFake videos? How well can ordinary people tell the difference between a video manipulated by AI and a normal, non-altered video? Rather than try to explain in words, we built the Detect Fakes website so you can see the answer for yourself"
How to spot a deepfake—and prevent it from causing political chaos
"Science speaks with experts about the unique threat posed by AI-generated audio and video"
One Tech Tip: How to spot AI-generated deepfake images
"AI fakery is quickly becoming one of the biggest problems confronting us online. Deceptive pictures, videos and audio are proliferating as a result of the rise and misuse of generative artificial intelligence tools."
Spot the deepfake: The AI tools undermining our own eyes and ears
"Affordable and accessible generative AI tools have led to a rise in false video, images and audio on social media. Can you spot the difference?"
Green Party
Libertarian Party
Party for Socialism and Liberation