“Who Votes and How Can I Help?”

As we have learned in this class, voting is a form of political participation that is very important. Next week is the midterm election, which (along with the ballots cast in early voting) will determine who holds several important political offices at the national, state, and local levels. Using what you have learned in this class (including your textbook and independent research), please answer the following questions. Your grade will be based upon the rubric uploaded in this week’s module. You should entitle your document “Who Votes and How Can I Help?”. NOTE: Do not merely copy and type into this document. Create a new, blank document for your response which you will upload into the assignment drop box. It should be a minimum of 350 words, double-spaced, and include an MLA header, proper in text citations, and a works cited at the end (which will NOT count towards the minimum word count). Please do NOT re-type or copy/paste the questions. It makes it very difficult for me to determine if you have met the word requirement.

  • – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oS_BGgZawPY

The purpose of this assignment is for you to think deeply about our government and democracy and your responsibility to engage in political participation and encourage others to do the same on the eve of a very important election.

  1. Referring to Chapter 8 of your textbook “Political Participation and Voting” (pp. 279-288, “Who Votes?”), write one paragraph describing at least two demographic groups that tend to vote at a low rate and why they vote at low rate compared to other groups. Is it because of beliefs and attitudes or other barriers or obstacles? You should cite your textbook or an outside source that you use for this information. (Hint: your textbook offers several reasons for low voter participation for certain groups.) Be specific and cite your sources.
  2. For this portion, you will write a brief letter consisting of two body paragraphs. First, pick one of the demographic groups you researched above that votes at a lower rate than others. Address this letter to a friend or colleague who is a member of this group. Your letter should be part of the same document as question no. 1. Just type the number “2.” at the left margin and then begin your letter. It should begin with a greeting (“Dear (fill in name of your friend/colleague),”) but be signed “Your Friend”.
    1. In the first paragraph of the letter, explain (using the data from question 1) what you have observed about voter participation for your friend/colleague’s demographic group. Encourage your friend or colleague to register and vote. Think of how you can be part of the process. Some of the ways you can help encourage your friend/colleague may be very practical. Be creative and include a description of ways you are willing to help.
    2. In the next paragraph, consider how voting at a higher rate would benefit this demographic group. Using your textbook or outside research, identify 2 or 3 issues that are typically important to members of this group and use this information to support your efforts to persuade your friend/colleague to vote. Do not just offer your own opinion of what is important. You must support your information with a citation(s). Use the information from your research to encourage your friend or colleague from this demographic group to vote (be sure to cite your sources, even if it seems odd in a personal letter!).
    3. Remember, do not sign your letter with your name. A simple “Sincerely, Your Friend” at the end will be sufficient!