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Here is a list of website resources for Presidential Inauguration via GHartman on Twitter.

The plans of presidential candidates are never set in stone, if only because circumstances and the makeup of Congress change after the election. The uncertainty is even deeper in this election because Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain laid out most of their agenda before the government committed up to $700 billion to address the financial crisis. Obama acknowledges what is true for both: "The next president will have to scale back his agenda and some of his proposals." Yet neither candidate has spelled out what promises might have to be postponed or changed. With that caution, here's a look at where McCain and Obama stand on a selection of issues.

Have students review the origin, purpose and function of the Electoral College. Ask students: What is the "winner take all" system? Are there any states that do not follow this system? If so, how do they determine their electoral vote allocation? How many electoral votes are needed to win the presidency? Next, divide students into small groups and assign each group a current swing state in the 2008 presidential race. Consult the CNN Electoral Map Calculator for a list of swing states. Then, refer groups to online resources, including CNN's Election Center 2008 on the CNN Politics site, to identify the following for their assigned swing state: * the number of electoral votes that are up for grabs * the state's key political issues * the U.S. presidential candidates' stances on these key issues * the state's demographic composition * the state's voting record in past presidential elections

The animated map depicts the changes over time in the state-by-state Intrade contract prices for the 2008 presidential election. There is a brief pause before the animation starts again.

The latest breakdown by The New York Times of which states are considered to be in play in the presidential election, along with how all the states voted in the past five elections.

Just as the candidates have learned to use novel technology tools to reach young people during this year's presidential campaign, teachers like Mr. Sherif are turning to electronic resources to capture students' interest in the election. At the same time, they want to help students decipher the barrage of related images and information and to engage them in lessons about the democratic process today and throughout American history. "The technology is fun and helpful, but it's also a tool you can use to get a better understanding of what the political and historical issues are," said Mr. Sherif, who teaches history and science at the Science Leadership Academy, a public high school in Philadelphia.

The issue of race has been intertwined with the history of the United States since its inception. It has brought out the nation's best and its worst - from the courage of the civil rights workers to the murderous terrorism of the Ku Klux Klan. Barack Obama's meteoric rise already warrants a chapter of its own, and his mixed-race heritage has already played a pivotal role in this year's election. It helped the Illinois senator win key primaries in Southern states like South Carolina. But it also cost him some white support in some struggling industrial states like Ohio and Pennsylvania, according to polls.

Barack Obama is gaining support in the rural, conservative town of McArthur, Ohio, reflecting nationwide trends in which the Illinois senator has been consolidating support among independents and in some traditional Republican strongholds.With just three weeks until the election, political analysts say absent an October surprise it will be difficult for Republican John McCain to turn things around. That's a challenge his campaign, which has been written off before, says it is delighted to take up.

Charts, maps and award winning analysis of all national and state polls for the elections for President, Senate, Governor and U.S. House, updated constantly.

With 25 days to go until the election, Barack Obama is presently at his all-time highs in four of the six national tracking polls (Research 2000, Battleground, Hotline and Zogby) and is just one point off his high in Gallup. He has emerged with clear leads in both Florida and Ohio, where there are several polls out today. He is blowing McCain out in most polls of Pennsylvania and Michigan, and is making states like West Virgina and Georgia competitive

For the first time since 1964, Democrats actually have a chance of winning Virginia's 13 electoral votes. Barack Obama is up 4.8% according to the Real Clear Politics average, and according to Nate Silver, Virginia could be one of this election's decisive swing states. And, in a state with 161 colleges and 483,159 students, the predominantly Democratic youth vote could play a huge role in tipping the election Obama's way. But there's a hold-up: Virginia's local laws make it exceedingly difficult for students to register in their college towns. Indeed, though other states like Idaho and Tennessee also make student registration so difficult as to border on disenfranchisement, the barriers to student voter registration in Virginia are, some experts say, some of the most problematic in the country.

Use our map to see the key areas in the contest to become the next president of the United States.

In a new Wisconsin poll by CNN/Time Magazine/Opinion Research, Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama leads Republican John McCain by 51% to 46%. The survey of 859 likely voters was taken Friday through Monday and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. The results are similar to the last poll by the same sponsors, a mid-September survey in which Obama led 50% to 47%. Four other states were polled at the same time. In the latest survey, Obama led McCain 50% to 47% in Ohio and 53% to 45% in New Hampshire. The two were tied at 49% in North Carolina, and McCain led 51% to 46% in Indiana.

With national, state, and county maps, CNN.com's Campaign Fundraising Interactive Map provides an in-depth view into the campaign fundraising of the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates.

Will Rural Voters Make It Three in a Row for Republicans? Rural and exurban voters made George Bush president -- twice.

* Over $15 million spent in presidential TV advertising since conclusion of conventions * More than 55% of McCain ads are in conjunction with RNC * Nearly all Obama ads all paid for with candidate money * Obama airs larger percentage of negative ads than McCain * Traditional battleground states receive majority of ad spending

Crunching the Numbers - September 05, 2008 Nate Silver created a remarkably accurate computer system that projects stats for baseball players and teams. Now he's turned his attention to polling data for the presidential election with his website Five Thirty Eight. Silver explains how his site can out-perform the polling firms, whose data he relies on.

EduHound.com is a highly specialized educational directory with FREE categorized resources, lesson plans, clipart, and site sets for educators, teachers, students, and families.

As the November elections approach, here are some Web sites to help you get your students interested and involved. Elementary Middle and High School Election History