Politicalwire.com highlights how Google layered county voting results from the last seven presidential elections on to Google Maps and Google Earth. It’s an incredibly quick way to look at past election results. It really is a “great resource” for history buffs, political junkies and geeks. Google also has a good page to keep you up to the second on the twist and turns of Election 2008. They have a index of various election maps, including this one showing the “fundrace,” which highlights where in the country the campaign cash is coming from.

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This year’s presidential election started in January 2007 and continues apace with the field of over a dozen in the two major parties narrowed down to two. By the end of May 2008,  all of these candidates spent over $900 million in attempting to reach the White House. We always talk about where this money comes from, the New York Times created this awesome graphic to tell us where it goes. Also check out the accompanying story:

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If you had a microphone and a media pass at the U.S. Capitol, what would you ask your lawmaker? What issues matter most to you during this election? The economy? Healthcare? Immigration, global warming, Iraq? Now’s your chance to make your voice heard in the corridors of power and on 200+ public radio stations across the U.S.

Using Sunlight grantee Capitol News Connection’s new Ask Your Lawmaker site and widget, you can ask powerful lawmakers on the air about the issues that will define this election. Plus, how lawmakers, as “super delegates” could end up picking the candidates at the conventions: how will they decide?

Capitol News Connection, the award-winning congressional news service that brings politics ‘home’ to almost 2 million public radio listeners nationwide, will compile the best – and most popular questions – submitted through the Ask Your Lawmaker widget and site. Citizens with the best questions will be chosen to ask them on the air. Listeners can also call them the CNC team at 202/546-8654.

All questions must be submitted by COB Monday, February 11. The Ask Your Lawmaker shows will air on over 200 public radio affiliates next Tuesday (2/12) and Wednesday (2/13).

PS: If you haven’t already, be sure to download CNC’s Ask Your Lawmaker widget and use it on your site!

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We’re launching something new over at Congresspedia.org today — "Wiki the Vote," a project to build citizen-written profiles on each and every candidate for Congress in 2008.

This project gives you the tools you need to research candidates and share your knowledge on the records, agendas and influences of congressional incumbents and challengers. We started with nearly 300 basic profiles to be expanded and updated by citizens, journalists and even the campaigns themselves (or those of their opponents). Unlike Wikipedia, people connected to the subjects of articles are free to add to them as long as their contributions are rhetoric-free and comprised of fully documented, verifiable facts. The citizen editors are assisted and fact-checked by professional editors.

The first set of articles is based on confirmed candidates according to 2008racetracker.com and will eventually expand to cover every candidate on the ballot in the primary and general elections next year. When the OpenSecrets.org 2008 congressional campaign contributions database goes online in a few weeks, the candidate profiles will also display live feeds tracking the money race and who is funding it.

Check out the site and start updating the profiles. Any technical questions should be addressed to Congresspedia’s Managing Director Conor Kenny at conor AT sourcewatch DOT org.

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Today’s mail brought an envelope with a pair of fundraiser fliers, both of which were originally faxed out on November 9, 2006–a scant two days after the election (what, these slackers took Wednesday off?) to Washington lobbyists, association heads, and other special interest folks all over town. The one above, from Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., will be held at the offices of O’Connor and Hannan, a firm that represents the likes of Exxon Mobil, General Electric and Lockheed Martin, to name but a few. The flyer asks $500 for individual contributions, $1,000 from PACs to attend the event.

Burr next faces the voters of North Carolina in 2010.

Like Burr, Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., won’t have to run again for his seat until 2010. But he’s still holding a breakfast fundraiser at Old Ebbitt Grill (a favorite of both Ulysses S. Grant and Warren G. Harding, according the restaurant’s Web site), this time to raise money for the White Mountain PAC, Gregg’s leadership PAC. The price of admission: $500 for individuals, $1,000 for PACs.

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