Voting and Voter Turnout
Prepare: Prior to completing this discussion question, review Chapters 9 and 10 in American Government and the following articles: “How Voter ID Laws Are Being Used to Disenfranchise Minorities and the Poor,” “Fraught with Fraud,” and “Proof at the Polls.”
Reflect: The U.S. has one of the lowest voter turnout rates among modern democratic political systems. One study ranks the U.S. 120th on a list of 169 nations compared on voter turnout (Pintor, Gratschew, & Sullivan, 2002). During the last decade, many initiatives have been undertaken to increase voter participation, yet concerns about the possibility of election fraud have also increased. Additionally, some political interests feel threatened by the increase in turnout among some traditionally low-turnout ethnic minorities. Several states have recently passed legislation imposing new registration and identification requirements. This has sparked debate about whether these are tactics intended to suppress turnout or to prevent fraud.
Write: In your initial post, summarize recent developments in several states enacting voter ID laws. Analyze and describe the pros and cons on both sides of the debate about these laws. Is voter fraud a major problem for our democracy or are some groups trying to make it harder for some segments of society to vote? Draw your own conclusion about the debate over voter ID laws. Justify your conclusions with facts and persuasive reasoning.
Fully respond to all parts of the question and write your response in your own words. Your initial post must be 200 to 250 words. Support your position with APA citations from two or more of the assigned resources required for this discussion. Please be sure that you demonstrate understanding of these resources, integrate them into your argument, and cite them properly.
Week Five Reflection
Prepare: Prior to beginning your reflection, review all course readings and videos as required.
Reflect: The U.S. national government is based on the framework detailed in the U.S. Constitution. The process that the Founding Fathers used to map out our national government is fascinating and illuminating. The Constitution creates a system of checks and balances and separation of powers that have been focal points for class discussions. In addition, the Constitution identifies three main branches for the national government: the legislative, executive, and judicial, which are tasked, respectively, with the creation of the legislation to guide the country, the implementation and execution of that legislation, and the review of that legislation for constitutionality and legality. Interacting with the federal government includes a variety of different actors and political processes such as the states, political parties, interest groups, and federal elections. All these features create a vibrant and healthy democracy.
Write: In your initial post of at least 200 to 250 words, explain how and why one feature of the U.S. government is the most important for America’s democracy. Choose one feature below to discuss in detail:
- Written, detailed, flexible Constitution.
- Robust checks and balances.
- Explicit separation of powers.
- Expansive interaction by different political actors and processes with the federal government.
Use real-world examples and details to support your arguments. Support your position with APA citations from two or more of the assigned resources required for this discussion. Please be sure that you demonstrate understanding of these resources, integrate them into your argument, and cite them properly.
America’s Democracy: Your Report Card
The primary goal of your last assignment is to critically analyze the primary features of the American national government. The results of your analysis will indicate what you have learned over the last five weeks. In order to accomplish this task, it is important to critically evaluate the key facets of our American democracy.
You have been preparing for this final assignment each week by constructing a detailed outline of the Final Paper’s main points through the weekly Learning Activities. In addition, you have read the course text and course readings, reviewed videos, and researched additional material for each week’s assignments and for this paper. This week, you will put all of those outlines, readings, reviews, and research together into a one summative paper.
As we wrap up our course, reflect back on what you have learned about the key structures, systems, roles, and processes that embody our national government. Focus on the strengths and weaknesses, advantages and disadvantages, and positive and negative impacts of these aspects of our democracy. Use what you have learned so far to evaluate our national government and recommend ways to enhance what works and repair what is not working well.
Construct a six-page paper based on the detailed outlines that you created over the last four weeks. Scaffold your paper around the following outline:
- Title page
- Introduction (half page):
- Describe the paper’s overall thesis.
- Provide an overview of main points.
- The Constitution (1-1.5 pages) (Week 1):
- Describe one strength and one weakness of the U.S. Constitution.
- Recommend one option to maintain the strength and one to correct the weakness.
- Federalism (1-1.5 pages) (Week 2):
- Describe one advantage and one disadvantage of a national policy that must be implemented by one agency of the federal bureaucracy.
- Recommend one option to maintain the advantage and one to improve the disadvantage.
- Branches of Government (1-1.5 pages) (Week 3):
- Describe one strength and one weakness of one branch of our government: Executive, Legislative, or Judiciary.
- Recommend one option to maintain the strength and one to correct the weakness.
- Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Elections (1-1.5 pages) (Week 4):
- Describe one positive impact and one negative impact of one of the following: political parties, interest groups, or federal elections.
- Recommend one option to accentuate the positive impact and one to lessen the negative impact.
- Conclusion:
- Review your main points.
- Review your overall thesis.
- References page
Writing the Final Paper
The Final Paper:
- Must be at least six double-spaced pages in length (excluding title and reference pages), and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
- Must include a title page with the following:
- Title of paper
- Student’s name
- Course name and number
- Instructor’s name
- Date submitted
- Must begin with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis statement.
- Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.
- Must end with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis.
- Must use at least eight scholarly resources, including a minimum of two from the Ashford University Library.
- Must document all sources in APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
- Must include a separate reference page, formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center
