Current Event Reflection

Current Event Reflection- Brittani's View

1.      Presentation: I believe that my partner and I had a solid amount of information for our presentation but we didn’t utilize our information in the best way possible. The information regarding voting rights is endless and ultimately, the amount of information became extremely overwhelming when we thought about how we would teach this material and how we would teach it using primary documents. Although I definitely wasn’t in the best state of mind because I was sick, I felt that we could have done a much better job of engaging us. I think this may have happened because I still don’t feel completely confident teaching that material because as I said in our presentation, I had just found the information on section 4 and there are still many holes in the information I have. It was also extremely frustrating because one of our videos wasn’t working which had amazing information about section 4 which I believe would have been extremely helpful and engaging for the students. I did feel that we did a good job of using primary documents in order to teach but I agree with you when you said that some other teaching strategy other than a PowerPoint would have been more beneficial. I think that we would have done better if we had asked for advice on what you felt would have been an effective teaching strategy because we didn’t know how we could teach background on voting rights, what prompted change, changes with section 4, and also talk about the different bills in a cohesive and organized way. I felt that if we used centers that the students who began with learning about section 4 may have been extremely confused if they didn’t understand the background of voting rights history which would be at a different center. So ultimately, I don’t think that finding appropriate primary documents for this subject was the issue; it was figuring out how to teach voting rights, using the primary documents, and how to do it so that we don’t confuse anyone or ourselves was the main issue. I do think that the other students in the class have a better idea about voting rights but I don’t think that we gave them enough clear information.

2.      Current Events: I think that whole current event project went relatively well. I do feel that I have a much better idea of many different current events that are happening which is definitely a good thing. From this project, I think I have a better understanding of not just my own point of view on different events by other people who I may not typically come in contact with or communicate with. Sometimes it’s hard to see how changes in voting rights would affect other people and not just myself because when I see how they are implementing the need for I.D’s to vote, I don’t see this as a big deal because I have an I.D but now I see how this actually affects so many people in so many different ways. I do feel that I am more willing to read about these topics in the news because I feel that I now have a basic understanding of this information and will be able to follow along with it. Before, I had no interest in reading the information because I knew I didn’t understand what they were talking about. Now, I feel that I can read the current events, discuss these events, and even take a stand on these events if I felt that strongly about it. I definitely feel more like an active citizen because I understand what is happening beyond just my own life and the people around me.

Jane's Interview with her mother about Voter Rights

Jane's Interview

I interviewed my mother, Janet, to find out more about this controversial topic. 

1. Do you find that the new policies of Voter Rights are discriminatory?

No I think having restrictions such as voter IDs protect the process. We need to be sure that the people that vote are registered voters. We require IDs for simple things like buying narcotics and even boarding a plane.

2. Why do you think Voter Rights are important? 

Voter rights are important. All legal CITIZENS should be allowed to vote no matter what race, gender or ethnicity they may be.

3. Should all individuals have to show ID in order to vote?

Yes all individuals should have to show an ID when they vote because this will reduce voter fraud such as people voting more than once or voting when they are not eligible.

4. Why is it not discriminatory to show valid ID to board an airplane, but people think it is discriminatory to show valid ID at an election?

It is not discriminatory because it would be required of everyone regardless of race or ethnicity.

5. Why do you think Democrats are against having voter right restrictions?

I think current Democrats unlike Democrats of many years ago actually promote bigger government and people getting handouts. They encourage it and people vote for a government that will "take care of them".

There is an old expression about "Robbing Peter to pay Paul". The problem is you have more people taking than working and there is a disincentive for people to work hard because the harder you work the more the government takes.

My mom's overall thoughts on voter rights:

Restrictions such as requiring showing and ID, registration restrictions and restrictions on early voting are certainly NOT discrimination. Everyone rich or poor and every color have the opportunity to get an ID, register to vote and either go to vote or get an absentee ballot. You have to show an ID to board a plane and buy a narcotic at the pharmacy...is that discrimination? I think that the reason Democrats want to make it easy for anyone to vote (including illegal immigrants) is so more people will vote Democrat. People need to pay attention and listen to both sides so they can make an EDUCATED decision at the voting booth. People in prison shouldn't be allowed to vote, people that are here illegally should not be allowed to vote

Brittani's Interview

Brittani's Interview and Reflection

Name of person being interviewed: Dad, Project Manager at MWRA

1. Is Voting Rights in America an important problem? Why/ Why not?  
Yes. In particular, I think you everyone should need an ID in order to vote even thought this has been deemed unconstitutional.I believe that it is important for people to show an ID in order to vote because it guarantees that you are who you say you are. Without an ID, I could technically vote on behalf of everyone on this street because I can say I was any one of them.

2. Do you think others in our community think this is a problem? Why or Why not?
I think there are many people who are immigrants who believe it is important that we do not need an ID in order to vote because majority of these people do not have a license or social security number. In our neighboring community of Lawrence, 74% of the people are Hispanic and many of these people are immigrants who do not have an ID to present to someone if they were trying to vote. I believe that all communities would see voting rights as important but they all might have different ideas of what the problem is within the voting rights depending on whose living there.

3. What policy, if any, does government now have to deal with this problem?
Just as I said before, asking for an ID to vote has been deemed unconstitutional. Either the supreme court or a court in Texas, I'm not sure which one, said that people cannot be denied the right to vote because of a picture ID.

4. What are advantages of this policy?
The advantage of showing a picture ID is that we guarantee that everyone is who they say they are and that people who are voting are citizens.

5. What are disadvantages of this policy?
This policy could prevent senior citizens or unlicensed people from voting because they might not have an ID to present anymore. Also, this could affect people like Nana Mary who never drove and was a stay at home mom so she didn't have a work id. 

6. What disagreements, if any, about the policy exists in this community?
We live close to many different towns and cities where immigrants are the majority of the population and therefore they would disagree with my belief that people should have an ID in order to vote.

7. How might this policy be improved?
I don't think there's much to discuss in regards to improvement. Either you need an ID or you don't.

8. Where can I get more information about this problem and the different positions people take on this problem?
League of Women Voters
Democratic National Community
National Republican Community

Reflection:
I really enjoyed sitting down with my Dad and talking about his thoughts and opinions on Voting Rights. Truthfully, I probably could have gotten a more detailed and insightful answers but Dad was watching the Red Sox game and I was only given about 5 minutes for this interview. I do feel that the 5 minutes I spent talking to my dad was more helpful than many of the articles I have read because it wasn't from the point of view of a politician or angry person in the community. Also, it was nice to be able to ask questions about why he felt the way he did and make meaningful connections like when he talked about Lawrence or Nana Mary.
First thing I noticed in our interview was how he only talked about whether a person should or should not need an ID in order to vote. Whether a person does or does not need an ID is only a small piece of the voting rights changes that have been happening in 2013 so it was interesting how he continually harped on that one issue.  I still felt that he brought up a lot of interesting ideas about using an ID.I thought the most interesting part of our interview was that he believed that people should use a picture ID because he felt it was important that people are who they say they are. He said that without a picture ID, he could vote for everyone on the street by pretending to be them. I realize that this would be very difficult but he is right when he said that it is possible. As I said in my initial blog post, majority of people did not have the right to vote in the 1800's and now that there is a much larger population of people who are allowed to vote, we do not want to take advantage of these rights by giving people the opportunity to vote more than once or vote on behalf of another. He also talked about senior citizens and how needing a picture ID could prevent many of the senior citizens who do not drive the right to vote. I think from talking to my dad, I was able to see how my previous thoughts about voting rights were pretty much spot on in that there is no real right or wrong answer to this problem. I can see many different reasons why using an ID could be beneficial but I also do not want to take away the rights of people who were born with the right to vote in this country.

Week One- Becoming aware of Voting Rights in America

Hello!

     This blog is used to familiarize and educate the students of EDU 309 on Voting Rights in America. Prior to this blog, my fellow classmate and I knew very little about voting rights or the current issues surrounding the voting rights in America. This is one of  the main reasons why we chose this topic. After researching important events in history and also researching many different current events, we are beginning to understand the severity of these changes and the importance of knowing and understanding these events. The changes that are in progress in 2013 will ultimately and have already affected the opportunities available to many different American citizens. As an American citizen, it is important that we remain aware of the issues that are surrounding us so that we can become civil and responsible adults in our community and country.

Brief overview of Voting Rights:

 When the Constitution of the United States was first written, only white male property owners (which was only 10-16 percent of the nation's population) had the right to vote. It wasn't until the 1800's that things began to change and states gradually dropped the property requirement for voting which granted a larger percent of the population to vote. In 1870, the15th Amendment was ratified which prohibited states from denying a male citizen the right to vote based on “race, color or previous condition of servitude.” Despite these efforts, a great amount of discrimination occurred towards the African American people in order to prevent them from voting. It wasn't until Lyndon Johnson became president that we truly began to see change. On August  6, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law which was used to overcome the 15th amendment of the constitution of the United States. This act banned the use of literacy tests, provided for federal oversight of voter registration in areas where less than 50 percent of the nonwhite population had not registered to vote, and authorized the U.S. attorney general to investigate the use of poll taxes in state and local elections (in 1964, the 24th Amendment made poll taxes illegal in federal elections; poll taxes in state elections were banned in 1966 by the U.S. Supreme Court). Since its passage, the Voting Rights Act has been amended to include the protection of voting rights for non-English speaking American citizens. The Voting Rights Act is considered by many as the "most effective and indispensable tool in American history for protecting the right to vote of racial minorities (American Civil Liberties Union)." It is however important to note that there are still many flaws in regards to Voting Rights in America and discrimination still persists at the polls today. 

Voting changes passed in 2013: 

     There has been a great deal of new laws passed in 2013 regarding Voting Rights. Since the beginning of 2013, there has been at least 82 restrictive bills introduced in 31 states. A restrictive bill typically restricts the access to register and vote for many people. On the other hand, at least 219 expansive bills that would expand access to voting were introduced in 45 states. Despite the introduction of these bills, many of them have not yet been approved. Overview of Voting Rights in 2013.
     What is important to remember when reviewing all of these new bills is how these new requirements coincide with the standards we must uphold in the Voting Rights Act. The purpose of the Voting Rights Act is to conserve all minorities rights to vote in America but many of the new laws like photo ID requirements, restrictions to registration, and cuts to early voting simply removes some minorities rights. Ultimately, some believe that the voting rights act is a "critical safeguard in defending against these discriminatory policies by serving as our democracy's discrimination checkpoint (ACLU)." Others believe that these new bills are simply removing the right to vote to people who should not have a say in our government and how things are run.

Jane's Viewpoint: 
     The conflicts pertaining to peoples' right to vote is something that America has faced many times throughout history. Originally, very few people had the ability to vote, as voting was once something only privileged white men knew. As time progressed, the right to vote moved toward allowing African Americans, women, and other minorities to vote in elections.  Over the past several decades our country has been facing controversy during our nation's elections.  In the United States we have strived for equality and freedom for all.  However, under certain circumstances these votes can be taken away from American citizens.  American citizens are born with the right to vote, I think a lot of people today take that for granted, and because of this I agree that this right should be taken away.  One of the easiest ways for an American citizen to have their vote to right taken away is by infringing on the laws of the United States.  I do not think that anyone should be able to vote once he or she has convicted a felony.  Another controversial issue regarding voter rights is whether or not illegal immigrants should also have the right to vote if they are living in America.  I do not think they should be given the right to vote, even though they might be working and living in the United States.  Until an immigrant of our country has become a legal U.S. citizen of the United States, I do not think that they should be able to vote in our country.  With that being said, this is why the topic of voter rights is controversial and difficult.  Overall, the U.S. Supreme Court has been in charge of the Voting Rights Act to help minorities attain equal rights as those legal citizens.  Because I do not think illegal immigrants should have the same voter rights as legal citizens in America, I agree with the Republican party.  The Democratic party is more in favor of an easier process to allow minorities and illegal immigrants to have the right to vote.

Brittani's Viewpoint:

     Truthfully, I am still struggling with what exactly my view is on the topic. I believe that is difficult to decide what exactly I feel about this subject when it is so controversial and prior to a week ago I had very little background knowledge on the subject. I think that when I look at all of the articles and new laws that are trying to be passed, I can't help but acknowledge how we not only have 82 new restrictive bills, but we also have 219 expansive bills. Why is it that some states are trying to make our ability to vote much more exclusive while the other states are becoming more lenient with their voting rights? How is it that each state can be on so many different playing fields when it comes to who gets to vote and who does not? I also think that it is hard to understand and fully make a thorough judgement on everything when many of the articles are discussing changes pertaining to the good of one single minority rather than the good of America as a whole and the equality of our people. I do however believe it is important to reiterate what Jane said and remind ourselves that if you are born in America, you are born with the right to vote. Unless you break some kind of law or make it so that your rights have been taken away from you than how is it that some of these new laws might take away some of the rights of people who have done nothing wrong? Although I don't fully understand exactly everything that is going on and it is hard to understand everything from a week or two of reading, it does seem that the reason why things are so controversial is because there is a great deal of contradiction when it comes to these new bills, the Voting Rights Act, the viewpoints of each state, and also our born rights as Americans.