Congressional Research Service Reports - 49 Matching Results
Search Results
- The Help America Vote Act and Election Administration: Overview and Issues
- This report discusses the Help America Vote Act (HAVA; P.L. 107-252) enacted in 2002. It provides background information about HAVA and its provisions, the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), funding for the agency and for state programs to improve elections, and a number of enduring election administration issues.
- The Electoral College: How It Works in Contemporary Presidential Elections
- This report provides information about the electoral college including its origins, who makes up the college today, the 2012 presidental election, and calls for the reform of the electoral college.
- Presidential Elections in the United States: A Primer
- No Description Available.
- Afghanistan: Presidential and Parliamentary Elections
- Presidential elections in Afghanistan were held on October 9, 2004, with heavy turnout and minimal violence. Karzai was declared the winner on November 3, 2004 with about 55% of the vote. Parliamentary, provincial, and district elections were to be held in April-May 2005, but parliamentary and provincial elections are now to be held September 18, 2005; district elections are put off until 2006. See CRS Report RL30588, Afghanistan: Post-War Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy.
- Iraq: Elections and New Government
- Elections for a transitional National Assembly, provincial councils, and a Kurdish regional assembly were held on January 30, 2005. High voter turnout in Shiite and Kurdish areas led to first- and second-place finishes for slates of these two communities, and they are leading the effort to establish a new government. See CRS Report RL31339, Iraq: U.S. Regime Change Efforts and Post-Saddam Governance
- Contingent Election of the President by the house of representatives- Newly elected or "Lame Duck" House?
- This report is about the election of president by the house of representatives.
- Contingent Election of the President and Vice President by Congress: Perspectives and Contemporary Analysis
- This report provides an examination of constitutional requirements and historical precedents associated with contingent election. It also identifies and evaluates contemporary issues that might emerge in the modern context.
- The Electoral College: A Selected Bibliography
- This report provides a bibliography of resources related to the electoral college divided by resource type.
- 2008-2009 Presidential Transition: National Security Considerations and Options
- This report is concerned with the first presidential transition in a post-9/11 world. The report describes the domestic and foreign policy security challenges that will be left over for the new administration, and the security anxiety of foreign influence on the U.S. election.
- Federal Election Commission: Membership and Policymaking Quorum: In Brief
- This report discusses the Federal Election Commission's structure, membership, and quorum requirements and what happens if they lose their policymaking quorum.
- Kenya: The December 2007 Elections and the Challenges Ahead
- This report discusses an overview of the December 2007 elections and the challenges of Kenya.
- Special Elections and Membership Changes in the 103d Congress, First Session
- This report provides information on membership changes in the first session of the 103d Congress through special elections for vacancies in the House of Representatives and appointments and special elections for vacancies in the Senate .
- Peru: 2006 Elections and Issues for Congress
- Peru held the first round of national presidential and parliamentary elections on April 9, 2006. No presidential candidate won over 50%, so a run-off election is necessary. The results among the top three candidates were so close, however, that election officials may not know until the end of April which two candidates will be in the run-off in late May or early June. It appears that populist Ollanta Humala will be one of the two candidates. The other will be either Lourdes Flores Nano, a conservative, or left-of-center former president Alan Garcia. Congressional concern regarding the elections will likely focus on the impact the winning candidate would have on the U.S. relations with Peru
- Latin America and the Caribbean: Fact Sheet on Leaders and Elections
- This report provides data on current Latin American and Caribbean leaders and the date of their last election as well as the next scheduled election.
- Super PACs in Federal Elections: Overview and Issues for Congress
- This report provides context for understanding what super PACs might mean for federal campaign finance policy and federal elections using a question-and-answer format with attention to super PAC activities in 2010 and 2012, and what those findings might mean looking ahead.
- The United Kingdom Election
- This report is a brief primer on the United Kingdom's (UK) general election, which is set to take place May 7, 2015. The previous election, in 2010, resulted in a "hung Parliament," as no party won a majority of the 650 seats in the House of Commons.
- Côte d’Ivoire’s Post-Election Crisis
- This report discusses the recent political instability in Côte d'Ivoire, which has surfaced most recently in February 2011, and stems from a contested November 28, 2010 presidential election. This report discusses background information on Côte d'Ivoire's long struggle toward peace, political stability, and democratic governance. It also addresses U.S. interests regarding Côte d'Ivoire's stability and democratic progress.
- Contested Presidential Nominating Conventions: Brief Background and Questions
- This report briefly addresses selected questions about possible contested Democratic and Republican conventions that might be relevant as Members of Congress prepare for the 2016 election.
- The State of Campaign Finance Policy: Recent Developments and Issues for Congress
- This report includes updated material that emphasizes the issues most prominently before the 113th Congress. It also discusses foundational information about major elements of campaign finance policy.
- Funding of Presidential Nominating Conventions: An Overview
- This report details how during the 113th Congress, legislation (H.R. 2019) became law (P.L. 113-94) eliminating Presidential Election Campaign Fund (PECF) funding for convention operations. The 2016 presidential nominating conventions were the first since the 1976 election cycle not supported with public funds. Because public funding for convention operations has now been eliminated, this report provides a historical overview of how PECF convention funding functioned and describes private funding sources that remain available.
- The State of Campaign Finance Policy: Recent Developments and Issues for Congress
- This report is intended to provide an accessible overview of major policy issues facing Congress. Citations to other CRS products, which provide additional information, appear where relevant. The report discusses selected litigation to demonstrate how those events have changed the campaign finance landscape and affected the policy issues that may confront Congress, but it is not a constitutional or legal analysis. Finally, campaign finance data appear throughout the report.
- The State of Campaign Finance Policy: Recent Developments and Issues for Congress
- This report includes updated material that emphasizes the issues most prominently before the 113th Congress. It also discusses foundational information about major elements of campaign finance policy.
- Campaign Financing
- This is one report in the series of reports that discuss the campaign finance practices and related issues. Concerns over financing federal elections have become a seemingly perennial aspect of our political system, centered on the enduring issues of high campaign costs and reliance on interest groups for needed campaign funds. The report talks about the today’s paramount issues such as perceived loopholes in current law and the longstanding issues: overall costs, funding sources, and competition.
- Campaign Financing
- This is one report in the series of reports that discuss the campaign finance practices and related issues. Concerns over financing federal elections have become a seemingly perennial aspect of our political system, centered on the enduring issues of high campaign costs and reliance on interest groups for needed campaign funds. The report talks about the today’s paramount issues such as perceived loopholes in current law and the longstanding issues: overall costs, funding sources, and competition.
- Campaign Finance
- Concerns over financing federal elections have become a seemingly perennial aspect of our political system, long centered on the enduring issues of high campaign costs and reliance on interest groups for needed campaign funds. This report discusses campaign finance practices, enduring issues and today’s paramount issues. In addition it presents the Legislative Action in the 108th and 109th Congress, as well as the Congressional efforts to close perceived loopholes in Federal Election Law.
- Ukraine: Current Issues and U.S. Policy
- This report discusses the current political and economic situation in Ukraine. Ukraine occupies the sensitive position between Russia and NATO member states Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania adds to its geostrategic significance. This report also discusses the U.S. policy in regard to Ukraine, U.S. aid to Ukraine, and other legislation.
- Ukraine’s Orange Revolution and U.S. Policy
- In January 2005, Viktor Yushchenko became Ukraine’s new President, after massive demonstrations helped to overturn the former regime’s electoral fraud, in what has been dubbed the “Orange Revolution,” after Yushchenko’s campaign color. The “Orange Revolution” has sparked a great deal of interest in Congress and elsewhere. This report examines the current political climate in Ukraine and policy issues for the U.S.
- Peru: Politics, Economy, and Elections in Brief
- This report provides an overview of Peru's political, economic, and security conditions and of U.S.-Peruvian relations.
- Regulating the U.S. Campaign Environment: Politics and Policy
- This report discusses current regulations governing election campaigns and potential new threats to campaigns that may require new regulations or policies.
- Campaign Finance Reform Bills in the 105th Congress: Comparison of H.R. 3581 (Thomas), H.R. 3526 (Shays-Meehan), and Current Law
- On March 30, 1998, the House considered four campaign reform bills under a suspension of rules, focusing on the comprehensive H.R. 3581, offered that day for the Republican leadership by Mr. Thomas; it failed passage on a 74-337 vote. (The bill was similar to H.R. 3485, also by Mr. Thomas, reported by the House Oversight Committee March 18.1) The bill generating the most publicity in the 105th Congress has been S. 25 (McCain-Feingold),2 introduced on March 19 as H.R. 3526 by Messrs. Shays and Meehan. This report summarizes and compares H.R. 3581, H.R. 3526, and current law.
- The Electoral College: Reform Proposals in the 108th Congress
- American voters elect the President and Vice President of the United States under a complex arrangement of constitutional provisions, federal and state laws, and political party practices known as the electoral college system. Despite occasional close elections, this system has delivered uncontested results in 46 of 50 elections since adoption of the 12th Amendment, effective in 1804. Throughout this period, nevertheless, it has been the subject of persistent criticism and many reform proposals. Related measures fall into two basic categories: those that would eliminate the electoral college and substitute direct popular election of the President and Vice President, and those that would retain the existing system in some form and correct perceived defects.
- Kenya: Current Conditions and the Challenges Ahead
- This report discusses the current political conditions of Kenya, which has long been an important ally of the United States. The report focuses particularly on the December 2007 elections, which many international observers have declared as rigged and deeply flawed. The report also discusses violence that erupted once election results were announced, as well as U.S. efforts to urge Kenya toward election reforms.
- Elections Reform: Overview and Issues
- This report discusses several issues as the Congress considers legislation to reform the voting process, a number of issues have emerged as part of the debate: the reliability of different types of voting technologies; voting problems and irregularities in the 2000 election; problems for militaryand overseas voters; the electoral college; and early media projections of election results.
- Elections Reform: Overview and Issues
- This report discusses several issues as the Congress considers legislation to reform the voting process, a number of issues have emerged as part of the debate: the reliability of different types of voting technologies; voting problems and irregularities in the 2000 election; problems for militaryand overseas voters; the electoral college; and early media projections of election results.
- Campaign Finance: Constitutional and Legal Issues of Soft Money
- Prior to enactment of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA), P.L. 107-155, the term “soft money” generally referred to unregulated funds, perceived as resulting from loopholes in the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA), 2 U.S.C. §§ 431 et seq. Generally, the intent of BCRA, (effective Nov. 6, 2002), which amends FECA, is to restrict the raising and spending of soft money. This Issue Brief discusses constitutional and legal issues surrounding two major types of soft money that BCRA regulates: political party soft money and soft money used for issue advocacy communications. Corporate and labor union soft money, which FECA exempts from regulation and is not addressed by BCRA, is also discussed.
- U.S. Senate Vacancies: Contemporary Developments and Perspectives
- This report discusses the procedures for filling a vacant Senate seat and provides a brief description of the most recent Senate vacancies and the election proceedings used to fill the vacancies. Various legislative proposals to alter the procedures for filling Senate vacancies are also discussed.
- Hugo Chavez's Death: Implications for Venezuela and U.S. Relations
- This report discusses the death of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, and the implications for U.S.-Venezuelan relations. The report also briefly covers Venezuela's constitutional provisions for presidential oath and absences.
- Campaign Finance: An Overview
- This report details the information related to concerns over financing federal elections in the aspect of the political system, its practices and related issues.
- The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act: Background and Issues for the 107th Congress
- No Description Available.
- Iraq: Politics, Governance, and Human Rights
- Iraq's political transition from the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein to a plural polity that encompasses varying sects and ideological and political factions has been accomplished through a series of elections that began in 2005. However, disputes regarding various communities' claims on power and economic resources has contributed to popular frustration and continued political unrest. This report discusses these issues.
- The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act: Overview and Issues
- This report discusses the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), under which members of the uniformed services and U.S. citizens who live abroad are eligible to register and vote absentee in federal elections. The report discusses recent improvements to UOCAVA, necessary as the result of controversy surrounding ballots received in Florida from absentee voters in the 2000 presidential election. The report also discusses related legislation, such as the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2010, which provided for a major overhaul of UOCAVA.
- Political Action Committees: Their Evolution, Growth and Implications for the Political System
- No Description Available.
- Taiwan’s 2008 Presidential Election
- This report discusses Taiwan's 2008 presidential elections.
- Elections in France, 2007
- No Description Available.
- France's 2017 Presidential Election: In Brief
- This report discusses the French presidential election of 2017 and includes brief descriptions of the main candidates and current poll leaders, major campaign issues, and possible implications of the results of the French election for American-French relations and for their role in Europe and the EU. This report was written before the election which was won by Emmanuel Macron.
- Burma's 2010 Elections: Implications of the New Constitution and Election Laws
- This report discusses the November 7, 2010 parliamentary elections in Burma, which have long been controversial, mainly due to election fraud concerns. The report discusses debates about U.S. policy toward Burma, which has been sparked by the elections and the issues surrounding them.
- Iraq: Politics, Elections, and Benchmarks
- This report discusses Iraq's political system, which has been restructured through a U.S.-supported election process. The Iraqi government is increasingly characterized by peaceful competition rather than violence, but sectarianism and ethnic and factional infighting still remain. This report discusses issues relating to opponents of the Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and also discusses the atmosphere of nationwide provincial elections.
- Computers and Political Campaigning
- This report is an annotated bibliography on computers in relation to political campaigning.
- El Salvador: Political, Economic, and Social Conditions and Relations with the United States
- This report is on El Salvador: Political, Economic, and Social Conditions and Relations with the United States.