Congressional Research Service Reports - 197 Matching Results
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- Super PACs in Federal Elections: Overview and Issues for Congress
- Report exploring super Political Action Committees, what they are, how they developed, how much they raised and spent during the 2010 election cycle, and a preliminary analysis of the 2012 cycle.
- Lame Duck Sessions of Congress, 1935-2010 (74th-111th Congresses)
- This report discusses how lame duck sessions occur, and the background of the lame duck sessions between 1940 and 2010. A “lame duck” session of Congress occurs whenever one Congress meets after its successor is elected, but before the term of the current Congress ends.
- Federal Role in U.S. Campaigns and Elections: An Overview
- This report provides a resource for understanding the current campaigns and elections regulatory structure. It addresses those areas of law and public policy that most directly and routinely affect American campaigns and elections: campaign finance; election administration; election security; redistricting; qualifications and contested elections; and voting rights.
- The National Popular Vote (NPV) Initiative: Direct Election of the President by Interstate Compact
- This report monitors the National Popular Vote's (NPV) progress in the states. It includes sections that provide brief background on the electoral college, history of the National Popular Vote concept, more detail on the NPV initiative, pros and cons for the NPV, legal issues, and concluding observations.
- Election Reform and Local Election Officials: Results of Two National Surveys
- No Description Available.
- Election Reform Legislation: Comparison of House and Senate Versions of H.R. 3295
- No Description Available.
- Election Reform Bills in the U.S. House of Representatives, 107th Congress: A Comparison of Selected Legislation
- No Description Available.
- Campaign Financing
- Concerns over financing federal elections have become a seemingly perennial aspect of our political system. This report discusses the debate regarding campaign finance regulation.
- Election Reform Bills in the U.S. Senate, 107th Congress: A Comparison of Selected Legislation
- No Description Available.
- Recent State Election Law Challenges: In Brief
- This report begins by setting forth key constitutional provisions relevant to recent state election law challenges. Next, it discusses federal statutory provisions contained in the Voting Rights Act and the National Voter Registration Act and briefly examines pertinent Supreme Court precedent. Then, based on that legal framework, it provides an overview of several recent challenges to state election laws in Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, and Texas that resulted in major decisions by the various federal courts of appeals as illustrative examples of the types of challenges that have been playing out in the courts. Finally, the report discusses some potential implications of these challenges.
- Russians Indicted for Online Election Trolling
- This report discusses the indictment of three Russian companies and 13 Russian national by the Department of Justice for interference in the 2016 presidential election. The charges brought for each one are detailed along with the sentencing guidelines for the crimes.
- Latin America and the Caribbean: Fact Sheet on Leaders and Elections
- This report provides the results of recent elections in Latin America and the Caribbean. Information in this report was gathered from numerous sources, including the U.S. State Department, Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA's) World Fact Book, International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) Election Guide, Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), and other news sources.
- Campaign Finance: Potential Legislative and Policy Issues for the 111th Congress
- This report discusses selected campaign finance policy issues that may receive attention during the 111th Congress such as the electronic filing of senate campaign finance reports, bundling, hybrid advertising, joint fundraising committees, 527 Organizations and more.
- 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.
- Lame Duck Sessions of Congress, 1935-2012 (74th-112th Congresses)
- This report discusses how lame duck sessions occur, and the background of the lame duck sessions between 1940 and 2012. A "lame duck" session of Congress occurs whenever one Congress meets after its successor is elected, but before the term of the current Congress ends.
- The Electoral College: How It Works in Contemporary Presidential Elections
- This report focuses on the institutions and procedures associated with the contemporary electoral college system. It opens by noting four rarely occurring electoral college eventualities that took place in connection with the 2016 presidential election. These included the election of a President and Vice President who received fewer popular votes than their major opponents; the actions of seven "faithless electors," who voted for candidates other than those to whom they were pledged; the split allocation of electoral votes in Maine, which uses the district system to choose its electors; and challenges to electoral votes in the joint session of Congress at which they are counted. The report also examines the constitutional origins of the electoral college system and identifies the additional components and processes that are the product of federal and state law, party requirements, and political tradition, explaining their role in presidential elections. It provides a timeline for operation of the electoral college system for the 2020 presidential election, a brief examination of alternative reform measures, including constitutional amendment proposals and non-governmental initiatives, such as the National Popular Vote initiative1 (NPV), and closes with concluding observations on the state of the electoral college system and prospects for change.
- Foreign Money and U.S. Campaign Finance Policy
- This report discusses regulations forbidding the use of foreign money in U.S. election campaigns and various debates and recent actions surrounding enforcement of the rules.
- Electoral College Reform: Contemporary Issues for Congress
- This report provides a brief introduction to the electoral college system, its original intent, pros and cons of the system, recent criticisms, and proposals to reform or end the electoral college.
- Latin America and the Caribbean: Fact Sheet on Leaders and Elections
- This report provides the results of recent elections in Latin America and the Caribbean. It includes three tables organized by region, containing the date of each country's independence, the name of the newly elected president or prime minister, and the projected date of the next election. Information in this report was gathered from numerous sources, including the U.S. State Department, Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA's) World Fact Book, International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) Election Guide, Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), and other news sources.
- Campaign Finance: Potential Legislative and Policy Issues for the 111th Congress
- This report discusses selected campaign finance policy issues that may receive attention during the 111th Congress such as the electronic filing of senate campaign finance reports, bundling, hybrid advertising, joint fundraising committees, 527 Organizations and more.
- Elections Reform: Overview and Issues
- No Description Available.
- Election Reform and Local Election Officials: Results of Two National Surveys
- No Description Available.
- Elections Reform: Overview and Issues
- No Description Available.
- Elections Reform: Overview and Issues
- No Description Available.
- Election Year Restrictions on Mass Mailings by Members of Congress: How H.R. 1614 / S. 936 / S. 1285 Would Change Current Law
- No Description Available.
- Electronic Voting System in the House of Representatives: History and Evolution
- No Description Available.
- Election Reform: The Help America Vote Act and Issues for Congress
- No Description Available.
- Election Reform: Issues and Legislative Proposals in the 109th Congress
- No Description Available.
- Election Reform: The Help America Vote Act and Issues for Congress
- No Description Available.
- Elections Reform: Overview and Issues
- No Description Available.
- Elections Reform: Overview and Issues
- No Description Available.
- Presidential Preferences and Delegate Selection Primaries: A Select Bibliography
- This report provides a bibliography of resources related to presidential preferences and delegate selection primaries.
- The Qualification of Minor and New Political Parties and Independent Candidates for a Place on the General Election Ballot: A Compilation of State Laws and an Introductory Analysis of Selected Court Decisions
- This report provides a listing of state laws governing the placing of independent candidates and candidates from minor or new political parties onto the ballot as well as discussing court decisions related to the subject.
- Contemporary Developments in Presidential Elections
- This report considers contemporary developments in presidential elections. It emphasizes three topics chosen for their recurring importance and notable recent developments: (1) nominating procedures; (2) campaign finance; and (3) the electoral college. The report highlights significant developments in these areas, particularly for the 2008 and 2012 elections. It also provides background information about the presidential election process in general.
- 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.
- 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.
- Legal Analysis of Religious Exemptions for Photo Identification Requirements
- Report that analyzes the legal issues associated with religious exemptions to photo identification laws, lawsuits that have challenged state photo requirements, and factors that may be relevant in future decisions that may arise related to federal photo identification requirements and state voter identification requirements.
- The National Voter Registration Act of 1993: History, Implementation, and Effects
- This report discusses the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. §1973–1973aa-6), which required states to establish voter registration procedures for federal elections so that eligible citizens might apply to register to vote (1) simultaneously while applying for a driver's license, (2) by mail, and (3) at selected state and local offices that serve the public. The law took effect on January 1, 1995, for most states.
- 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.
- U.S. Senate Vacancies: Contemporary Developments and Perspectives
- This report discusses senate vacancies created by a member resigning, dying, or transferring to another position as well as the the procedures to fill them.
- The State of Campaign Finance Policy: Recent Developments and Issues for Congress
- This 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. Campaign finance data appears throughout the report.
- The State of Campaign Finance Policy: Recent Developments and Issues for Congress
- 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.
- Campaign Financing
- This report discusses various issues regarding campaign finance law and potential options for policy responses.
- The State of Campaign Finance Policy: Recent Developments and Issues for Congress
- This report provides an overview of the campaign finance landscape and policy issues that may confront Congress. It includes information about the development of campaign finance law with selected litigation as well as potential policy considerations and emerging issues.
- 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.
- State Voter Identification Requirements: Analysis, Legal Issues, and Policy Considerations
- This report provides an updated overview of state requirements for voters to present some form of ID before casting a ballot in a federal election. The report also discusses the origins of voter ID, relevant federal legislative action in the 114th Congress, and selected legal and policy issues related to state voter ID laws.
- The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act: Overview and Issues
- This report discusses the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) of 1986, which was enacted to improve absentee registration and voting for this group of voters and to consolidate existing laws.
- The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act: Overview and Issues
- This report discusses the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) of 1986, which was enacted to improve absentee registration and voting for this group of voters and to consolidate existing laws.
- The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act: Overview and Issues
- This report discusses the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) of 1986, which was enacted to improve absentee registration and voting for this group of voters and to consolidate existing laws.
- The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act: Overview and Issues
- This report discusses the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) of 1986, which was enacted to improve absentee registration and voting for this group of voters and to consolidate existing laws.