Looking at the vast diversity of American voters

Working with Ipsos, Reuters has created such a database–the American Mosaic Polling Explorer –which can easily be searched by following the directions below."

"Want to know what white men in the South think about immigration policy? How African-American women older than 50 view gay marriage? Whether veterans and their families approve of the country's foreign policy? You can find the answers to those and many other questions by drilling down in this unprecedented trove of data."

"Every week since January Reuters reporters have polled about 2,500 people. By the time the election is held in November they will have reached well in excess of 150,000 people. But this is not a traditional telephone survey. The data is primarily drawn from online surveys using rigorous sampling methods developed in consultation with outside experts."

"WTSP-Tampa has found, through federal filings, that the Republican & Democratic national conventions promise economic windfalls to host cities but most of the money spent comes from the U.S. Treasury, including money spent on alcohol and parties."

"The Associated Press has compiled a list of U.S. political terms, phrases and definitions to assist in coverage of the 2012 national elections. The guidance encompasses the Democratic and Republican conventions to nominate presidential candidates; terminology for presidential races; campaign rhetoric; and elections for the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Many of the terms are from the AP Stylebook. Others include writing with context and avoiding clichés."

Despite calls for strict voter ID laws, an in-depth study of American election fraud reveals that the rate is infinitesimal. Since 2000, News21 found 10 cases of in-person voter fraud, which only photo ID laws would prevent. That would be about one case for every 15 million eligilbe voters. News21 is a national program based at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

The Daily Business Review takes a closer look at the 2012 presidential election and the role lawyers have played in fundraising.

They combed through FEC and OpenSecrets.org records to compile a story, with numerous charts with breakdowns on lawyers helping President Obama and Mitt Romney and the percentage of their funds that come from lawyers. They also attended fundraisers to get an inside view of how they work.

"South Carolina’s House speaker is affiliated with a political action committee that has doled out hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations and private contracts to sitting state lawmakers."

"According to publicly filed data analyzed by The Post and Courier, the Speaker's PAC has channeled about a half-million dollars in the last four years to the S.C. House Republican Caucus, to the state Republican Party and to more than 130 mostly incumbent Republican candidates for legislative office."

"To keep tabs on super PACs, and as of today, super donors, The Center for Public Integrity has a project to "out" the shadowy political organizations that have flourished in the wake of the Citizens United ruling."

Consider the Source "provides narrative to behind the flow of money and how the election is influencing a flood of new spending." To see their latest donation/spending figures, click here.

This month, members of the General Assembly are gathering in Richmond, while "legislators are buzzing about the exclusion of four major Republican candidates from the presidential preference ballot in Virginia on Super Tuesday."

"Missing in that conversation is any discussion of a loophole that gives political parties power to say whether or not candidates have met the letter of the law. Unlike independent candidates, who are required to have their ballot petitions certified by a local registrar, Republican and Democratic chairmen across Virginia are given unlimited discretion and no oversight."

"Thousands of Iranians took to the streets in 2009 as part of the Green Movement to protest a disputed presidential election. The government crackdown that followed included some women being imprisoned, tortured and raped. This report shares some of their stories."

Jeffrey Brown with The Center for Investigative Reporting and PBS NewsHour reports on the aftermath of the Iranian protests, with startling accounts from the women on the front line.