Josvell Cuervo - Blog 2

 

Josvell Cuervo

Spc-2608

11/9/2024

Blog 2:

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Introduction and U.S. Electoral Systems Overview

The final project consisted of the topic of the Election Process. we wanted to understand how our election process differs from other locations around the world. We researched topics such as the  Electoral College, and the primaries to  determine how our system works in detail. We then researched other locations to determine if our system was fair compared to their place. 

Who Did What?

I started our presentation with a clear introduction providing essential context for the entire project. I covered the basics of the U.S. election system, explaining its foundation as a representative democracy with a presidential structure. I helped set the stage for understanding the complex system that is our electoral system. including the importance of the Electoral College and the plurality voting  system commonly used in the U.S., Our presentation started well by me setting up the background of what we will be doing as a whole project. I explained how the U.S. election system is established describing the basic principles of presidential representative democracy. The introduction laid a foundation for understanding some of the system complexities such as the significance of the Electoral College and plurality voting that makes us the United States.  

Primaries and Caucuses

Anthony presented the Primaries and Caucuses describing how primary elections work for each political party in nominating their candidates. The first piece of the puzzle dealt with the types of primaries which  consist of open closed and semi closed and caucuses which he spoke about in his PowerPoint presentation. Anthony spoke of the aspects of voter registration requirements which is another important factor shaping how participation occurs as well.

History and Key Milestones

Kiara and Karis presented from a historical perspective condensing major events that have had an impact on the way elections are run in the U.S. They followed the path of democracy from the Magna Carta to the Declaration of  Independence and how these concepts were used to create our voting system. Their input on key documents added depth to connecting historical context to democratic practice today.

The Role of the Press and Historical Perspectives

Leslie studied the impact of media on Elections and Public Opinion. big media organizations such as The New York Times and NPR have a huge impact on how voters view themselves along with the importance of media when it comes to informing  citizens about candidates and elections. Leslie also provided a historical context which helped to see how this changed over time.

Public Opinions and Responses

Melissa examined the view points the public has towards the political system. This included the views of individuals who participate in  politics and the groups that participate. She emphasized the political leanings of various individuals in these fields and how their  reaction might differ depending on the politics. Her research emphasized the need to listen to the public and respond with a plan of action not only about complaints but also to bring a brighter future with our policies brought forward that have more than one perspective represented to serve the people as best as possible by these candidates. 

Political Tendencies Across Demographics

In investigating political trends across demographics Katrina provided us a window to view the political opinions among groups from  business people to blue collar workers. She Delivered a summary of party affiliation statistics and how particular issues influence our voting for each group. This analysis added a factual aspect to our presentation of data demonstrating viewpoints with evidence. 

Organizations impacting elections

Kyle researched various major organizations such as ACLU, NRA, etc. as well as;  how they have a specific political agenda or at   least ideological intentions, and then try to pressure members to vote. He illustrated the power of lobbying and being heard through an established community functioning as a support system for voting to get the needs of its majority through to make sure that we as people are served to the upmost. 

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Reflections on Working with the Team

We all put in our group effort to make sure that this project exceeds not only our expectations but our classes of this project. There are some memorable things I came to learn due to this project which are teamwork, mutual respect, and, the respect for different opinions. Since we all have different perspectives due to our different backgrounds it helped form our opinions to intertwined them into this project inorder to create the best delivery. I feel like a proper introduction made it possible to on make us authoritative by removing any possible conffusion  that the class might have when it came to discussing our topics. In the middle of all of this Anthony took time to give the breakdown of primaries and caucuses. Kiara and Karis completed the history to create a link between the democratic and republican historical experiences of our project. Another vital piece in the puzzle that connected to current events and media perception was also done by Leslie. This made our project realistic and when the group responded to her piece during preparations it was amazing for all of us to read how she wanted the media to be presented during our final presentation  I especially enjoyed how Melissa incorporated public opinion into her argument because ours becomes a more grounded case as to how the election impacts a series of groups in various ways; her portion explained how paying attention to public concern can only help strengthen our democracy. I liked that Katrina included demographics because it presented a new angle and dealt with the voter population; everybody is different, and so is everybody’s outlook on politics.

Conclusion

I am grateful to have worked with a team that was so committed to producing an established presentation. We did face some complications when it came to meeting at specific times due to Each member having things to do outside of class. For this presentation to take a float Each person had to make their critical piece to add to our project.  We then together pieced are parts to create our project.  Through our communication, mutual respect, and the drive to represent our topic as best as we could we created a project that we could all be proud to present for our class. This journey showed me the value of collaboration. I look forward to future presentations where I can once again witness the magic that happens when talented people work together toward a common goal. In this team each individual played a vital role, and it was an honor to collaborate with such dedicated people.

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