20 Nov 08 Religion played a much more significant role in press treatment of Obama than of McCain during the 2008 campaign, but much of the coverage related to false yet persistent rumors that Obama is a Muslim.

13 Nov 08 In remarks at a dinner at the Newseum hosted by the Roper Center, Pew Research Center President Andrew Kohut analyzed the voter preferences revealed in exit and post-election polls and their implications for the incoming administration.

18 Nov 08 The country’s weakened economy rivaled the presidential transition as top story of the week while much coverage focused on two women who ran losing campaigns for the executive branch.

14 Nov 08 Barack Obama won only 53% of the vote on Election Day, but he is getting a landslide greeting from the American public with voters giving Obama better grades for his conduct during the campaign than any presidential candidate since 1988.

12 Nov 08 This year, 66% of those under age 30 voted for Barack Obama making the disparity between young voters and other age groups larger than in any presidential election since exit polling began in 1972.

13 Nov 08 Prior to Massachusetts becoming the first state to legalize same-sex marriage in 2003, only three states had passed constitutional amendments prohibiting the practice. With amendments in California, Arizona and Florida passing this November, the number of states now stands at 29. A graphic charts the recent history of voter-approved state bans on gay marriage.

11 Nov 08 Barack Obama wasn't the only one to make history on Election Day 2008. Statehouses also broke ground on several fronts.

6 Nov 08 Gay marriage bans were among the most closely watched of the 153 measures on 36 states' ballots this year, a list that included scores of politically explosive social and fiscal issues including abortion, doctor-assisted suicide and various efforts to roll back state taxes.

5 Nov 08 Barack Obama captured the White House on the strength of a substantial electoral shift toward the Democratic Party and by winning a number of key groups in the middle of the electorate, according to an analysis of National Election Pool exit poll data.

5 Nov 08 Latinos voted for Obama over McCain by a margin of more than two-to-one according to an analysis by the Pew Hispanic Center of exit polls, with Latino youth supporting the Democratic ticket by an even wider margin.

5 Nov 08 President-elect Obama made a concerted effort to reach out to people of faith during the 2008 campaign, and early exit polls show that this outreach may have paid off on Election Day.

17 Oct 08 Though by no means a perfect instrument, polls make it possible for more opinions, held by a broader and more representative range of citizens, to be known to the government and thus, potentially, heeded.