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 September/October 2008
Note: Questions relating to state legislative activity or any of the items noted in ACS Cross Country may be directed to Mindy Baker, State Affairs Associate, at mbaker@facs.org.
With the focus on the national Presidential election, it’s easy to forget that there are local elections, too. Here are a few good Web sites dedicated to election coverage at the state level. The SSLAC is a Web site the College cosponsors with more than a dozen surgical specialty societies. This simple, user-friendly, Web-based advocacy tool is an excellent and convenient way for surgeons to make their voices heard. The SSLAC is a public Web site, and any interested party may use and share our alerts with others. What most people don’t know is that the SSLAC has an entire section dedicated to election information. http://sslac.capwiz.com/election/home/ Users can select their state and find out important election dates, register to vote, and find their polling place. Users may also find out who is running in their local races and obtain contact information for the candidates. National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)
NCSL is a bipartisan organization/professional association that serves the legislators and staffs of the states, commonwealths, and territories. NCSL provides research, technical assistance, and opportunities for policymakers to exchange ideas on the most pressing state issues and is an effective and respected advocate for the interests of the states. Its 2008 State Vote tool (http://www.ncsl.org/statevote/StateVote2008.htm) features an interactive map with information about statewide ballot initiatives, party control, and even reports on the effect of term limits in past elections.
Stateline.org is a not-for-profit, nonpartisan online news site dedicated to state level policy and politics. You may search news stories by state (http://www.stateline.org/live/states) or by issue. (Health care stories may be found at: (http://www.stateline.org/live/issues/Health+Care) A 2008 State Elections guide has been created for this year’s electoral contests. To access the guide, visit this page (http://www.stateline.org/live/). This election guide features an interactive map so you may search by type of race (Governor, Lt. Governor, and so on), ballot initiatives, and even pre-election party control. The site also includes a comprehensive list of state elections: http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=296843. From this page you can access statewide candidates’ homepages and get information on each candidate. The site also regularly features state-level election news at http://www.stateline.org/live/issues/Elections.
Past Issues of ACS Cross Country:
Revised September 30, 2008
by the American College of Surgeons, Chicago, IL 60611-3211 |
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A box like the one shown here can be found in the upper right hand corner of the page, and clicking on it will access the guide.