Page 103 - Historical Dictionary of Political Communication in the United States

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ELECTION
NATIONAL
defend equality for all Americans. Through the NAACP's work in the SERVICE
court-
room, many segregation and discrimination laws were overturned. In the 1960s,
the group was very instrumental in the success of the Civil Rights movement,
along with the Southern Christian Leadership Coalition.
SOURCES: Kathleen Thompson Hill and Gerald N. Hill, The Real Life Dictionary of
American Politics, 1994; Jack Salzman, David Lionel Smith, and Cornel West, Encyclo-
pedia of Afro-American Culture and History, 1990.
Jacqueline Nash Gifford

NATIONAL ELECTION SERVICE (NES). During the 1964 Republican
presidential primary, confusion reigned supreme among the media. The Asso-
ciated Press and United Press International showed Nelson Rockefeller in the
lead, while ABC and CBS projected victory for Barry Goldwater, and NBC said
the race was too close to call. The five decided to found a cooperative to tally
the vote next time and at least get their stories straight. The National Election
Service began its biennial tabulation of votes during the 1966 congressional
election. Today it utilizes a 100,000-plus army to cover all the voting districts
in the country. Volunteers from such groups as the League of Women Voters
form the bulk of the NES workers in return for contributions to their organi-
zations. The scrutinizers phone results to regional centers from which figures
are sent by computer to NES headquarters in New York City. In addition to
providing returns for its members, NES provides results to other media organi-
zations for a fee. In 1990, CNN joined the NES cooperative, replacing UPI,
which dropped out due to financial problems. In 1993, NES was merged with
Voter Research and Surveys (VRS), which the networks had founded three years
earlier to conduct joint exit polls. The move prompted the head of VRS to set
up his own exit-polling company, confusingly called Election News Service
(ENS). The promise of more in-depth statistical analysis convinced flagship
clients the Washington Post and the New York Times to cast their lot with ENS.
SOURCE: Michael L. Young, The American Dictionary of Campaigns and Elections,
1987.
Marc Edge
NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR WOMEN (NOW) was founded in 1966
by author Betty Friedan. She wrote The Feminine Mystique, a radical book that
discusses the women's movement. NOW concentrates its energies on supporting
political policies that promote equal rights and equal opportunity for women.
The group also works to fight job discrimination on the basis of sex. NOW uses
various forms of communication to spread its political philosophy, including
pamphlets, lobbying, and demonstrations. It claims to have nearly 300,000 mem-
bers across America.
SOURCE: Leon Hurowitz, Historical Dictionary of Censorship in the U.S., 1985.
Jacqueline Nash Gifford