Elections

Washington, DC is gearing up for the party of the year, with hotels booked, security out in full force, and hundreds of notable celebrities heading into town to celebrate the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th president. But you don't have to be in DC to experience the pomp and circumstance around the quadriennial event.

NewsHour will be broadcasting the swearing in from 11am to 2pm on Tuesday, January 20. You can follow the whole day online at their inauguration central site. Or if you're in Washington, check out the Google map and find out where to go before setting out in the cold to the day's events.more

"I've voted since I was 18, but I didn't always win," a woman in her 90s from the Springhouse Assisted Living Center in Chevy Chase, Maryland shared. Later in the video, her friend recalls voting for Franklin Roosevelt and how long it took women, and women of color, to obtain voting rights:

The PBS/YouTube partnership Video Your Vote brought in over 2,500 short films about Election Day from registered voters in the U.S. and around the world. All of them are plotted on the map at and color-coded by story type, from "early voting" to "post-election reactions." Here are more of our favorites, shot by staff at local PBS stations:

Early in the day, while it was still dark, Virginia Station WHRO showed Virginia Beach voters headed to the polls.

In Indiana, WTIU spoke with a young first-time voter about his experience voting for president. more

Today's the big day. Whether you're looking for help with last-minute research on local races, or need help finding your polling place, read on for a guide to the best online resources available.   We'll also tell you what to do if you run into problems at the polls.

First off, do your homework - it's not too late! While your local paper is a great place to start for information on races beyond the presidential campaigns, you can also find a host of information on local races and ballot initiatives at the Project Vote Smart Web site. For a complete list of newspaper endorsements big and small, check out Editor and Publisher's tally.  more

The following entry has been re-posted from PBS' Vote 2008 "Election Connection" blog.

Before the Saturday Night Live skits, network news interviews, and ever-shifting horserace polls, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's game-changing speech at the Republican National Convention foreshadowed the buzz we're seeing this week in the lead up to tomorrow night's vice presidential debate in St. Louis, Mo. more

The first few days of the Democratic National Convention have been a whirlwind tour of colorful characters, high tech media equipment, and political discourse from experts -- from former Defense Secretary William Perry to rocker Melissa Etheridge. 

For many of us here with PBS' interactive team, including Online NewsHour, Tavis Smiley's Young Voices, and PBS Vote 2008, it's our first time at a political convention. Taking in the sights and sounds of Denver during this busy week has been just as consuming as learning about the political process of nominating a presidential candidate.

Young Voices blogger Tomika Thompson gave a photo glimpse into her first day in Denver, talking to delegates who were also experiencing their first convention, like Jackie Petty from Peoria, Ill: more

"What an experience! I'm recovering from my caucus and post-caucus celebration! Way to make a showing, Iowa!"

These werenâ€â„¢t the words of Democratic caucus winner Barack Obama or Republican winner Mike Huckabee. These were the words of @YogaGirl, a West Des Moines resident who blogged about her caucus experience on Twitter last night.more