If you are viewing this page from home, you will need your Orange County resident library card to access some of the resources.
Library Programs
Orlando Public Library
Library Central
Saturday, January 9, 10 a.m.
Congressman Lou Frey will discuss his book Political Rules of the Road, a collection of insights from America’s finest political thinkers. In the book, representative, senators, and presidents share thoughts about the fierce and complex American political landscape and the keys to their success. For more information visit www.loufrey.org. A book sale and signing will follow the program. This special event, brought to you by the Friends of the Orange County Library System, is free and everyone is invited.
Orlando Public Library
Albertson Room
Saturday, January 23, 2 p.m.
Join Congressman Lou Frey Jr. for a civic education series that will encourage development of civic and political skills through research, policy analysis, and advocacy. It will also concentrate on working with others to help strengthen the civic education capacity of Florida's K-12 education system. This series will run through June 2010.
Back to Top
Library Online Resources
Search for biographies and articles on not only the United States Presidents but other men and women who have held government offices in our country. Use the Biographical Facts Search to find biographies by occupation, such as Senator or Secretary of State.
Do in depth research with General OneFile, a comprehensive database with millions of articles from thousands of journals, magazines, and newspapers.
Get an insight into issues that are hot topics of debate in the political arena, such as health care reform, illegal immigration, and same sex marriage.
Read local news and articles related to elections and local politics.
Use this database to get a quick overview of complex topics or do your own detailed research.
Back to Top
Kids and Teens
Library Online Resources
Explore government and civics resources to help with homework assignments. Also learn about how government departments and representatives work together.
Library Materials
Barack, George, Abraham – know your presidents with this reading list for children. Then learn about where the President lives, the first families, and presidential pets.
Stuff happens all the time, know your rights and how you got them. Read stories about social activists that changed the world, fictional tales of governments gone a wry, and how youth protested in the 1960s.
Web Sites
Using music, popular culture, and technology, Rock the Vote, aims to engage young people in politics. You can register to vote, volunteer, and get informed about the issues.
Politics can be as local as your school or impact the lives of kids in countries all over the world. Use Country at a Glance or quizzes and games to learn more about places and issues. Curriculum resources for k-12 teachers are also available.
Back to Top
Voting Information
Local Information
Find information related to voting in Florida, including polling places, voter registration, and Florida absentee ballots.
Use this Web site to learn more on how to have your voting rights restored.
Are you an Orange County Resident? Use this Web site to register to vote, change your address, get absentee ballots, find your nearest polling place, or simply look up the elected officials.
Additional Resources for Voting
Use this federal Web site to get absentee voting information to U.S. citizens who are UOCAVA (Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act) citizens.
Find government information on the local, state, and federal level with this easy to use Web site. You can contact your elected officials, learn about the voting process, register to vote, or volunteer as a poll worker.
Avoid long lines on election day! You can order a mail-in/absentee ballot with this Web site sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Orange County.
Use this "one-stop-shop" for election related information provided by the League of Women Voters Education Fund.
Back to Top
Library Materials
Books
Explore these comprehensive, non-partisan books on Congress and congressional policies.
Read about voting history and find out how presidential elections work.
Enjoy these great stories in which politics are an important plot element. Try these political thrillers by William Bernhardt, Dale Brown, and Richard North Patterson.
Find out how the political campaign influences the decision making process with these resources.
Research some of our newest books on the subject of politics.
Videos
Discover documentary and instructive videos for home use or the classroom.
Enjoy these movies where politics meets Hollywood.
Back to Top
Web Sites
Campaign Contributors
Look up state-level campaign contributions in this database. It is searchable by candidate, contributor, office, and state.
Explore this comprehensive resource for campaign contributions, lobbying data, and news. Find out how much 527 groups are spending or simply look up the Federal campaign contributions in the State of Florida.
Resources for Decision Making
Get a clear view on U.S. politics. This Web site for voters produced by "nonpartisan, nonprofit 'consumer advocate'" individuals checks on the statements made by people in politics for factual accuracy.
Search the Congressional Record for information on who said what in the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress.
Check the facts with the St. Petersburg Times team of fact checkers. Politifact attempts to verify the claims made in politics as true, false, or in between.
Use this Web site to browse voting records, interest group ratings, public statements, and more.
See where the money is going with this official U.S. government site that tracks all of the economic stimulus funds. Use the interactive map to search by state.
Back to Top
Social
Read and comment about the lastest political news published by the CNN team.
Get an inside scoop about politics and happenings around our region.
Get more social about politics. Read and comment about news from Washington as posted by The New York Times.
Check this blog often for its constant updates on Florida politics.
Back to Top
