...to be. The United States of America has a president that gets elected every four years. Every American citizen that is at the age of 18 or older has the choice to vote for the president. There is a common saying that goes along the lines of, “Everyone’s vote counts.” Americans like to think that if they vote, then their vote will make a difference in the election. But in actuality, one vote...
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...The Electoral College The Electoral College is a highly outdated system that needs to be removed from our presidential elections. Without the electoral college presidential candidates would be have to campaign nationwide instead of focusing on a few battleground states that hold key electoral votes. This scenario would ultimately lead to the best man standing as our next president. In today’s society the Electoral College is unnecessary and unwanted. This system was introduced in 1787 because delegates were unsure if the general public would have the knowledge to make an informed decision in a presidential election. 228 years later with the inventions of the television and the Internet it would be hard to argue that the public is no longer informed on the candidates and their positions. The Electoral College is discouraging to many and therefore causes countless people to not vote. For example, in Texas many democrats will not cast a vote because they deem it useless in a Republican dominated state. The removal of the Electoral College would encourage every voter to cast a ballot and those votes would actually mean something. The removal of the Electoral College will cause presidential candidates to take notice of the entire United States. “For example a full 99% of all advertising by the two major candidates were concentrated in only 17 of the states.” (Source D) Presidential candidates tend to focus all of their attention on those states considered battleground...
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...Voter turnout for the 2014 midterm election was the lowest since World War II in 1942. Only 36.4% of eligible voters casted their votes this election (DelReal). Voter participation has been a problem the early twentieth century. America won the revolution and broke its ties with Britain’s monarchical ways for very specific reasons. Reasons clearly stated in the Declaration of Independence (Jefferson 259-267). The American people wanted a government that protected their rights and gave them the ability to select someone who represented them best to lead them. The ability to vote on our representatives and add or changes laws is what America started for. Low voter turnout is preventing any sort of change in our government system. Voter turnout can be split into two problems- attitude and accessibility. Voting is a key part in the democratic system and it is important to address and attempt to reform the system to benefit the citizens of the United States. When the Constitution was ratified in 1787, the voting policies and presidential regulations were set. According to section two of Article two of the Constitution, in order to be a president her or she must be over 35, a natural born U.S. citizen, and must have lived in the United States for at least fourteen years ("The Constitution of the United States " 85). If the president meets the requirements, he or she is allowed to run for office. The first thing a candidate usually does is develop a political action committee to help...
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...Make-up Position Paper - Wk4, Ch7 - Political Participation ASSIGNMENT INTRODUCTION - SUBMIT AS MAKEUP ONLY - READ FOR AIC. Dear class, Welcome to this week's Makeup Position Paper on Public Opinion and Participation. This make-up assignment is reserved for students who have failed to submit at least one, required position paper. Students must submit two makeup position papers in order to makeup for the credit lost on one required paper. If you wish to submit this assignment, please be sure to disable the TFE and topic text links before doing so. Furthermore, be sure to submit it in the proper folder. ASSIGNMENT BACKGROUND - IMPORTANT POINTS As usual, before I direct you to the week's assignment questions, there are a few remarks I would like to make regarding important, related issues and/or background material. Please consider the comments below, which touch upon a number of topics addressed in our text and which include a number of related observations taken from my own research. Purposes of Elections Firstly, one key point to remember is that elections, originally designed in order to allow citizens to select their own leaders, are also used by governments in order to build support for their policies. This is particularly true of parliamentary governments, which generally require simple plurality votes in order to pass sweeping legislation. In parliamentary governments, political parties are represented in direct proportion to the percentage of votes that they...
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...The last function of Canada’s government is popular participation. The level of political participation is sometimes to be used as a measurement to check how healthy and democratic a country is. In Canada, people have the freedom to participate in Canadian politics according to the constitution. The federal election of Canada is usually held every four years. Like the United States, Canada uses a first-past-the-post (FPTP) system during election. During electoral process, the country or province is divided into small areas called electoral districts according to its population. Under the FPTP system, one candidate will be elected per electoral district, and voters are only allows choosing one candidate on their ballot. Then, there will be 107 members of Provincial Parliament gathered together in Ontario legislature and vote the electoral district they want. The winning party with the most ridings will asked by the Governor General to form the government. The leader of that...
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...Dictionary (1995) defines democracy as a government in which supreme power is invested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through representation. According to Lindel, and Scott (1999), the term originates from the Greek word (demokratia) which simply means “rule of the people” and it was coined from (demos) “people” and (kratos) “power” or “rule” in the 5th century B.C. It is important to note that the political system postulated by the Athenians was such that democratic citizenship was exclusive to an elite class of free men only. Slaves and women were excluded from participation. Furthermore, in a lecture titled “What is Democracy”? Diamond (2004) gave an overview of what in his opinion is democracy. He describes democracy as a system of government with four key elements: a system for choosing and replacing the government through free and fair elections; active participation of the people, as citizens, in politics and civic life; protection of the human rights of all citizens; and a rule of law in which the laws and procedures apply equally to all citizens. Popper as cited in Javie (2006) defines democracy in contrast to dictatorship or tyranny. He places emphasis on the availability of opportunities for the people to control their leaders and to them without recourse to a revolution. Popper’s view must have hinged on the fact that there are many variants of democracy today. The most dominant variable is what he terms the...
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...In America, the voter turnout has been exponentially low since 1920 when the percentage of voters plummeted to 49%. In Michael Schudson’s America’s Ignorant Voters, he explains how the decline of votes casted are caused by political ignorance influenced by the media, the candidates and many Americans today. In 1893, the government had put many reforms which reduced civil service patronage (Schudson 2). By doing this, the politicians could no longer bribe the public for political support and they wanted voting to be more individualized. In most of the 19th century, the votes were public and you picked your color ticket and casted your ballot. The ballot reform later placed voters in a closed setting where it was their “individual choice” to deter away from the public opinion. Schudson explains how the “One reason Americans have so much...
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...Problem in America Voting Problem in America Numerous studies have been steered to support with observing for influences that will demonstration by public do not contribute in voting. It has remained a mounting difficulties with appropriate voters not registering and object their ballot. Over the decades, Americans have vanished trace with the antiquity of voting. Voting for in determinations supports in providing underpinning on why society do not participate in voting. Analyses provide tangible influences with why societies do not vote with illustration clusters support. Discovery of behaviors will show the unabridged development with the existing system supports with the American community. The 2008 elections enquiry provides awareness with the diverse motives from highest to lowest. Giving some understanding on the origin of the unruly and outcome resolutions to battle these problems. Examination can transform that are currently in domicile and assuring voting contributions on the ability to speak on the issues and distresses. Observing at other countries for potential solutions to the problem can be one riposte for the United States voting delinquent. Using tads and shards can support with altering he existing classification that does not work. Without transformation, the voting contribution will endure to diminish. The history behind the voting in America helps wonder why this pass civil liberty has fallen to many Americans waist side in today’s world. As America was still...
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...The World in 2007, measured the state of democracy in September 2006 and the second edition covered the situation towards the end of 2008. The index provides a snapshot of the state of democracy worldwide for 165 independent states and two territories—this covers almost the entire population of the world and the vast majority of the world’s independent states (micro states are excluded). The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Index of Democracy is based on five categories: electoral process and pluralism; civil liberties; the functioning of government; political participation; and political culture. Countries are placed within one of four types of regimes: full democracies; flawed democracies; hybrid regimes; and authoritarian regimes. Free and fair elections and civil liberties are necessary conditions for democracy, but they are unlikely to be sufficient for a full and consolidated democracy if unaccompanied by transparent and at least minimally efficient government, sufficient political participation and a supportive democratic political culture. It is not easy to build a sturdy democracy. Even in long-established ones, if not nurtured and protected, democracy can corrode. Democracy in decline The global record in democratisation since the start of its so-called third wave in 1974, and acceleration after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, has been impressive. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s measure of democracy, one-half of the...
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...Politics and Law Essay Popular participation is a key aspect of good governance in both the United States of America (USA) and Australia, it derives from the freedom to speak out, assemble and associate, take part in public affairs, as well as having the ability to register as a candidate and campaign for election; by allowing these elements to occur. It is established on the credence that those who are affected by a decision have a right to be involved in the decision making process. However in both countries there are significant, almost insurmountable challenges that interdict a citizen’s ability to engage in and be represented in their respective political system. Popular participation in Australia is countenanced in a multitude of ways [Uphold] * Increase opportunities to vote, on and before, Election Day. In 2013 Election the Australian Electoral Commission undertook extensive remote area mobile polling services. Voting facilities were widely available. There were polling booths at airports (eg. For ‘fly in fly out’ workers to vote early and with convenience), postal votes and early voting at shopping centres and local government offices * Variety of political parties. In the 2013 Federal Election 54 different parties contested the available seats in the Federal Parliament. Individuals can join a political party and they can also form a political party and contest seats at the next election eg 2013 Clive Palmer and the formation of a new political (just before...
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...Democracy in America Today Pos/110 October 16, 2011 Final Project: Democracy in America Since the beginning of American Democracy it has been morphed from the founder’s format. With all its changes, it still functions as a well-constructed form of democracy that supports our nation. American democracy has both strengths and weaknesses. Government spending or over-spending is a core issue facing our nation in these economically troubled times. There are many points to be addressed regarding American government today. Adjustments within American democracy have caused us to land in our current situation of economic uncertainty. Some of these developments have actually had a negative impact on democracy and the people of America. Some have enabled us to have vast achievements within our government. Our ability to take care of ourselves and continue to achieve greatness has been diminished by some of these changes. We will always face challenges and issues in our country, but we need to be able to see these problems and move forward in a positive way. The commonality between all American’s with regard to their views on democracy is that the very status of that democracy impacts every citizen of America. There are distinct views of democracy and the issues facing American government. “Democracy is the means to select any policy maker and government, in which the policy would then represent the citizens’ preferences” (Edwards, Wattenberg, & Lineberry...
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...a more meaningful existence to woman : the inseparable companion, the ever caring mother, the doting wife, who has since times immemorial been relegated to the background. This paper attempts to analyze the status of empowerment of women and highlight the issues and challenges they are in. It tries to analyze the need of women’s participation in the political process, social, economic and the overall developmental progress of Ghana largely to be judged on the basis of their political awareness, their capability of decision making in a male dominated society, their consciousness about various issues concerned with women viz. providing education to girls, health , nutrition, fighting against dowry, inclusion in the society, economic freedom, etc. It looks into the dynamism of the process whereby women empowerment is achieved and seeks to analyze whether participation of women does in fact translate into concrete women empowerment : a state where women are able to carve a niche for themselves in the traditional male bastion and successfully find a forum for effective redressal of women related issues or whether increased political participation of women, is but an eyewash , an essential dexterous jugglery of numbers with no female empowerment ramifications whatsoever. MEANING OF WOMEN EMPOWERMENT Empowerment of women is essentially the process of upliftment of economic, social and political status of women, the traditionally underprivileged ones, in the society....
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...Final Project: Democracy in America POS/110 January 9, 2010 Final Project: Democracy in America America is a moral run country from domestic politics and foreign. We have every day customs and traditions. In this class I have learned a lot about American government and how it works. I have been surprised at how much power the government has and the way the government works. There have also been a lot I have already known about the way the government works. I will discuses some of the ways they work and how I think they can improve so areas. I have found in doing this class that there are many ways I think they can improve. Consider the challenges to democracy I think the challenge that poses a particular threat to our current system of government is lack of separation. The lack of separation between parliament and the executive is a particular threat to our current system of government. According to (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2011) “Such a separation limits the possibility of arbitrary excesses by government, since the sanction of all three branches is required for the making, executing, and administering of laws”(para 1). In America the discloser of separation of powers is more a name than a description. None of these three branches of the national government are separate from one another. A crucial problem is that split power inevitably entails split accountability. No wonder then that so many difficulties in American government spring ultimately from...
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...2002, and declared that profit and nonprofits could spend unlimited funds to elect or defeat candidates for public office. Reactions from the conservative court varied significantly from the liberals in society and the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama. Justice Anthony Kennedy provides the majority opinion by saying it is unconstitutional to allow the government to make a distinction between different types of speakers – regulating some, but not others. The Tillman Act of 1907 protected free speech by individuals but made a distinction between corporations, which were not allowed to donate to the electoral process. The BCRA act of 2002 aimed to fill the widening gap between corporations working around this issue by donating “soft” money instead of “hard” money to elect officials, however Kennedy goes as far as to say that the PACs designed by the BCRA were almost impossible to create and hence left corporations without the freedom of speech. Justice John Paul Stevens provides the counterargument for the dissenting opinion by saying that throughout history Congress has sought to limit the role of big contributors in elections because it could lead to collusion and antitrust decisions within the electoral process. The larger role that corporations played in American politics would lead to “cynicism” by the American people and hence jeopardize their faith...
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...Omar Sharif Should the Electoral College be abolished? The invention and approval of the electoral college by the Constitutional Committee in 1787 resulted in an electoral system whereby the election of the president, every 4 years, is determined by members of the electoral college and not the popular vote. Each state receives a number of electoral college votes (number of state congress members) and this is amended every 10 years to reflect changes in state populations. However, there is a growing movement to abolish and replace the current Presidential electoral system with a more democratic system that more accurately reflects the popular vote. Firstly, to understand why the electoral college became the chosen system, it is important to understand the issues faced by the Constitutional committee. James Madison wrote at the time "There was one difficulty however of a serious nature attending an immediate choice by the people. The right of suffrage was much more diffusive in the Northern than the Southern States; and the latter could have no influence in the election on the score of Negroes. The substitution of electors obviated this difficulty and seemed on the whole to be liable to the fewest objections." Therefore, whilst many members acknowledged that a nationwide popular vote would be ideal, state conflict over the rights of slaves, which divided the nation, was the ultimate deciding factor in the choice of electoral system. However, there were other highly influential...
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