Election History

The Clerk of the House collects statistics showing how past Congressional and presidential elections turned out. You can find information about national elections from 1920 through 2006.

This introduction to the electoral system in the United States was created for teachers, but is helpful for anyone who needs an overview of how U.S. elections work. Topics include requirements to be a presidential candidate, who can vote and how this has changed over time, the political party system, how presidents are elected (including the primary system and electoral votes), and significant election issues through time. You can find a basic explanation of political conventions here as well.

This exhibit from Chicago's Museum of Broadcast Communications explores televised presidential debates from 1960 to 2000 with videos, photographs, and other documentary evidence of the debates, their public reception, and their impact on the voters. A special section provides curriculum resources for teachers. The museum also has other resources about televised presidential debate history.

Political campaign advertisements are an important way for candidates to deliver their messages to voters—at this exhibit you can watch dozens of television campaign ads from the last fifty years. Or, take a look at web advertising videos created for the 2004 presidential campaign, some created by candidates, and others by individuals and public interest groups.