The Constitution is based on several key principals the most notable would include: separation of powers as well as checks and balances. Separation of powers is when there are clearly defined powers that are given to the various branches of: the government, the federal government and the states. Checks and balances is when one branch of the government will have the power to the check the authority of another branch. (Wood) for example, the Constitution would specifically spell out various powers of the executive branch. During the course of exercising these different powers, a citizen brings a lawsuit against the government in the judicial branch. Where, they claim that the actions that the executive branch is taking are unconstitutional. In this particular case, the executive branch would work off of the powers given to them in the Constitution. When they begin to overstep these boundaries, another branch of the…...
mlaBibliography
"British Political Parties." Politics Resources. 2010. Web. 29 Apr. 2010.
"Fuel Efficiency Standards Hiked for 2011." MSNBC. 27 Mar. 2009. Web. 28 Apr. 2010.
"Key British Political Parties Pursuing Lilly Allen." One Indie. 2010. Web. 29 Apr. 2010.
"Markets in New Territory in Three Party Britain." Thompson Reuters. 26 Arp. 2010. Web. 29 Apr. 2010.
In terms of outcomes and successes, it can be said that the small voter turnout, especially in the recent elections of 2004 when only 54% of the population with the right to vote actually exercised it (Pimbo, 2004) it is of little importance the actual result. The rule of Thabo Mbeki has been certified twice in the Presidential office in 1999 and 2004. Nonetheless, in both occasions, the fact that the ruling party, the African National Congress, has held an undisputed majority was obvious in the electoral results. u comparison, "the opposition share of the vote has declined since 1994" (Pimbo, 2004). Therefore, there is little evidence of an important opposition force, an aspect which limits the democratic process.
There are other issues which are relevant for the electoral system in South Africa. Given the historical background, representation of the minorities is a crucial matter. According to statistics, it may seem…...
mlaBibliography
Klemann, Jurgen. A Critical Look at South Africa Politics and Economics. 2004. 23 April 2008 http://www.escapeartist.com/efam/56/South_Africa_Politics.html
Pearce, Justin. "How South Africa has changed." BBC News Online. 2004. 23 April 2008 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3608149.stm
Piombo, Jessica. "Politics in a Stabilizing Democracy: South Africa's 2004 Elections." Strategic Insights, Volume III, Issue 5 (May 2004). Center for Contemporary Conflict. 23 April 2008. http://www.ccc.nps.navy.mil/si/2004/may/piomboMay04.asp#references
Saaiman, Hurchele. "The Promotion of Women's rights in South Africa." ITCG Alberto Ceccherelli School, Italy. 18 February 2008.
California's Electoral System of Today -- No return to the New York Tammany!
It would be tempting to view the defeat of the Tammany Hall Political Machine by the opponents of political corruption as the clear triumph of good over evil. But the victory of the greatness of the 'morning glories' sniffed at by the politicians over Boss Tweed and his ilk was not so simply realized. The fall of the party bosses had as much to do with negative as well as positive political, historical and social influences upon the urban landscape of America. The first foremost and most sweeping example of this is the Great Depression that precipitated the subsequent nationally-based New Deal policies of the Roosevelt administration. This economic catastrophe created a program of federal social welfare surmounted the informal 'good corruption' policies on a local level that had allowed the Tammany politicians of the George Washington Plunkitt…...
Essay Prompt
Is the Election System Flawed?
What do you believe to be the greatest challenge or flaw in our current campaign and election system? Why? Next, describe how you would address or fix this problem. Your response should be a minimum of a paragraph in length (5-7 sentences).
Flawed U.S. Electoral System
While many people will have varying and different opinions, the biggest problem with the electoral system is the party system, and for a couple of reasons. First, people of the same party will band together against the actions of another party just because it is the other side doing it and not because of the merits. For example, many Democrats were against the use of executive orders when George W. Bush was using them but they are quizzically silent (for the most part) when Obama does the same thing (Moore, 2014). Similarly, Republicans would probably want Antonin Scalia replaced right away…...
Voting in the USIntroductionThe winner-takes-all or first-past-the-post system used in the United States is also known as a plurality voting system. It is a simple and straightforward system where the candidate who receives the most votes in a district wins that district's election. The same principle applies at the state level, where the candidate who wins the most districts across the state wins the state's electoral votes. This paper will discuss the electoral system in the US and compare it to others to see which is most democratic.The US SystemIn the United States, each state is allocated a number of electoral votes based on its population. The total number of electoral votes is 538, and the candidate who wins at least 270 electoral votes becomes the president. In most states, the winner of the popular vote also wins all of the state's electoral votes, which is why this system is…...
mlaReferences
Ferrara, F., Herron, E., & Nishikawa, M. (2005). Mixed electoral systems: Contamination and its consequences. Springer.
Gillespie, J. D. (2012). Challengers to duopoly: Why third parties matter in American two-party politics. Univ of South Carolina Press.
Perhaps more significantly, adopting this system would eliminate the U.S. Electoral College, and reduce the priority of national presidential candidates having to woo certain states with many electoral votes, such as California or Texas, as every citizen's vote would be worth the same amount. In Russia the impact of the system has been minimal and not necessarily promoted democracy. "In 1996 Boris Yeltsin won barely a third of the vote in the first round; in 2000 and 2004 Vladimir Putin won an absolute majority in the first round" (Munro 2008). In short, a viable opposition party, or preferably parties must challenge the chief executive to truly create a contentious election. But under the regime of Putin, oppositional elements have been suppressed, although the president seems popular, according to Russian public opinion polls.
orks Cited
Munro, Neil. (30 Jan 2008). "Russia Votes." Centre for the Study of Public Policy:
University of Aberdeen. The Levada…...
mlaWorks Cited
Munro, Neil. (30 Jan 2008). "Russia Votes." Centre for the Study of Public Policy:
University of Aberdeen. The Levada Center: Moscow. Retrieved 3 Feb 2008 at http://www.russiavotes.org/president/presidency_electoral_system.php?PHPSESSID=b930691dd1def289a14f0530ced79ace
Electoral Democracy
Different forms of government have been tried in just about every country on Earth since the beginning of modern history, with varying successes. Out of all these processes, the "lesser" of all evils has been democracy, according to Winston Churchill. However, democracy is not perfect at all, though it seems to be a better-suited government for humankind, especially because it provides us with many freedoms. Minimal democracy is defined as the 20th century democratic political system which means that its most powerful decision-makers are selected through "fair, honest and periodic elections in which candidates clearly compete for votes and in which virtually all the adult population is eligible to vote," according to Samuel Huntington. This definition is an adequate definition for electoral democracy because it provides one with all the elements that should make up an electoral democratic process. This essay will thus provide the reader with the strengths…...
mlaAnother strength of this definition is its mention that representatives are elected through fair and competitive elections in which most of the adult population can vote. This is vital for a democracy to prosper. The adult population must be all inclusive and must definitely have the right to vote, for only this can make it equal. Furthermore, the representatives to government must compete for votes by participating in town hall meetings or debates. A third point this definition makes, which further strengthens it is that the elections must be fair. Indeed, without fair elections one does not have a true democracy. [3: Kallen, H. (1997). Culture and Democracy in the United States. Berrue Circle: Transaction Publishers.]
The only weakness that I can see in this definition is that it does not present the central "freedom" facets to democracy. According to the U.S. Constitution we have many freedoms, including that of press, religion, and speech. This is a central facet to United States democracy. Freedom of Speech for example could contribute to rousing people to go vote, and go vote for a specific candidate. However, for an electoral democracy definition, this is implied in the "fairness" clause, and thus does not necessarily need to be included in the definition, but should be included in a more specific description of such a definition.
This paper has presented a minimal definition of electoral democracy and has stated that this definition is all-inclusive as far as the aspects of electoral democracy are concerned. It has also discussed why these elements are important in democracy, and how they help our society be a better, more free society.
Electoral Politics
As detailed quite eloquently in Chapter 15 of Haywood's text, having political power is not simply getting one's way in a crude and overt manner, like passing or pushing a bill through congress. Rather, power also involves the task of agenda-setting itself, putting an idea upon the national platform of discourse. The author additionally cites Bacharatz and Baratz as critical in defining not simply making yes or no the key player in politics -- for instance, for many years, the discrimination against Black Americans was not even part of the national discussion, until the civil rights movement. (126) Black Americans were an invisible political voice, though a sizable minority in America.
Application of agenda-setting to today's political life
Today, the role of military service and how it affects one's fitness as commander in chief is part of the national debate. The right to rule (129) is equated with military experience, rather…...
Pluralist theorists often dispute that political power in Texas is dispersed among an extensive range of rival groups and interests, and that this rivalry serves to limit the power of any single group on the institutions of government. Even though there are noticeable dissimilarities in the resources of groups, there is adequate opposition and dealings among the groups to attain the objectives of a democratic society. Public policy, in this outlook, reveals the cooperation of rival interests (the Power of Interest Groups, 2010).
Supporters of elitist theory contend that political power in Texas is concerted in the hands of a comparatively small amount of people who obtain their funds from influential institutional bases. These institutions are joined collectively with multifaceted interconnected associations, and access to their leadership places is limited. Known as the Texas Establishment, those who dominated authority in the past were mostly white males from the higher socioeconomic groups.…...
mlaWorks Cited
"Lone Star Election Laws: A Comparative Study of Texas's Campaign Finance System." 2000,
viewed 29 March 2011, from
"Texas Politics - Voting, Campaigns and Elections." 2011, viewed 29 March 2011, from
"The Power of Interest Groups." 2010, viewed 29 March 2011, from
How the Electoral System Works and Why It Is UndemocraticThe purpose of this paper is four-fold: 1) to describe the voting system in the United States and explain how it works; 2) to compare the American electoral system with the other types of voting systems; 3) to contrast the American electoral system with the other types of systems; and, 4) to provide an opinion as to which type of electoral system is the most democratic. Finally, the paper also provides a summary of the research and significant findings concerning the voting system in the United States in the conclusion.Identify the type of voting system in the United States and thoroughly explain the how it works;The voting system that is used in the United States to elect the president and vice president at present is termed the electoral college, which was created by the Founders as a compromise between having the…...
mlaReferencesBlack’s Law Dictionary. (1999). St. Paul, MN: West Publishing Company.Electoral College. (2023). U.S. National Archives. Retrieved from electoral-college#:~:text=The%20Electoral%20College%20 is%20how,the%20President %20and%20Vice%20President.Electoral College History. (2023). U.S. National Archives. Retrieved from https://www.archives. gov/electoral-college/history#whyec.George, J. (2019, May). Mixed Member Proportional System: An Alternative Electoral System to Indian Democracy. Online International Interdisciplinary Research Journal, 9(2), 126-131.Proportional representation voting systems. (2023). Fair Vote. Retrieved from https://fairvote. org/archives/proportional-representation-voting-systems/.Revesz, R. (2016, November 16). Five presidential nominees who won popular vote but lost the election. The Independent. Retrieved from https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/ americas/popular-vote-electoral-college-five-presidential-nominees-hillary-clinton-al-gore-a7420971.html.What is the Electoral College? (2023). U.S. National Archives. Retrieved from https://www. archives.gov/electoral-college/about.https://www.archives.gov/
The voter is grappling with an economic landscape that has seen income inequality increase, with the elites enjoying prosperity; while the middle class hemorrhages wealth and loses income.
The economic variable is the most prominent short-term factor which affects the voter however, equally pressing is the "long-term predisposition" (Miller, W. & Niemi, R. 2002. P. 170) of the voter concerning; "an egalitarian/free-market values dimension that contrasts egalitarian or socialist vs. laissez-faire or free-market values" (Miller, W. & Niemi, R. 2002. P. 172). Voters in Europe and The U.S. are confronted with this polemical; the social democracy governed by a redistribution mentality, or the allure of capitalism and wealth creation despite its penchant for gyrations and economic uncertainty. The coming elections have at their core these fundamental choices based on both short-term and long-term factors, yet will voters have the ability, tools, or option to cast a vote representative of their…...
mlaDemobilization, Emotional Identification, and Deficient Information
Particularly in the U.S. The traditional party affiliation as determinant in electoral prediction has turned, with the new dynamic the independent voter who desires a pragmatism and common sense bipartisan solution. While self- described Republicans or Democrats vote tend to vote for their own candidate based on affiliation, this independent is far more likely to be swayed by the short-term factor as opposed to the long-term predisposition; "pre-determined factors have been overrated and more immediate factors-issues, candidates, and election campaigns-have been underrated" (Miller, W. & Niemi, R. 2002. P. 179).
These short-term factors which in this election cycle are without question: economic growth, government debt, and jobs in Europe and the U.S. are presented to voters via the media's
Criminal Justice System
Australian Criminal Justice System
"When all is said and done, the current criminal justice system is about as fair and effective as we can reasonably expect"
Overview of the Criminal Justice System: Fair and Effective - Penal Populism
The Democracy at Work thesis proposes that politicians have been properly responsive to public concern about crime by putting into place the more robust responses to offending which people want. An alternative perspective is that politicians have been populist in advocating these tougher policies. "Penal populism"; a term equivalent to Bottoms's (1995) "populist punitiveness"; is defined here as a punishment policy developed primarily for its anticipated popularity. Penal policy is particularly susceptible to populism, because there is a great deal of public concern about crime, and low levels of public knowledge about sentencing practice, sentencing effectiveness, and sentencing equity. This combination of concern and lack of knowledge can present politicians with the temptation…...
mlaReferences
Bottoms, A.E. (1995). The philosophy and politics of punishment and sentencing. In C. Clarkson and R. Morgan, eds., The politics of sentencing reform. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Hogg, R., and D. Brown (1998). Rethinking law and order. Sydney: Pluto Press.
Toby, J. (1957). Social disorganization and stake in conformity: Complementary factors in the predatory behavior of hoodlums. Journal of Criminal Law, Criminology and Police Science 48: 12 -- 17.
Sallmann, P., and J. Willis (2003). Criminal justice in Australia. Melbourne: Oxford University Press.
The merits of the two-party system all stem from its perceived (and probably justifiably so) stability. That stability is offered by many as reason enough to avoid rocking the boat. But, as presented here, the arguments against the two-party system and, indeed, maybe against stability itself, are more persuasive. The U.S. can handle electoral dynamics associated with more than two parties, and it seems that the governing body can only benefit from the injection of new, perhaps radical, ideas. hile the two-party system is unlikely to change in the near future, it seems possible that a charismatic and visionary leader from a third party could tap into broad public dissatisfaction and create a whole new chapter for America.
orks Cited
Alesina, Alberto. (1988). Credibility and Policy Convergence in a Two-Party System
with Rational Voters. The American Economic Review, 78 (4): 796-805
Arjmand, Marzieh. (2010). Two-Party System in the United States. Available at:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Two-Party-System-in-the-United-States&id=3498174
Dalton, Russell J.…...
mlaWorks Cited
Alesina, Alberto. (1988). Credibility and Policy Convergence in a Two-Party System
with Rational Voters. The American Economic Review, 78 (4): 796-805
Arjmand, Marzieh. (2010). Two-Party System in the United States. Available at:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Two-Party-System-in-the-United-States&id=3498174
Eason Jordan made what he defined as a "life and death" decision to withhold information that might get his informants killed in Iraq. "It's very simple," he said. "Do you report things that get people killed? The answer is no.," (cited by Rutenberg, 2003). Jordan's decision is a little bit surprising, considering the media's generally ruthless approach to journalism: such as the push to get the story first, or to glean information before competitors in the industry. Journalism is cutthroat enough on an individual level: leading reporters on the ground and editorial boards to make decisions that are in the best interest of the company, but which are not necessarily ethical.
In the case with Eason Jordan, however, it seems that the editorial choice might have been the ethical one. Although "several journalism professors and commentators said Mr. Jordan had compromised CNN's journalistic mission so the cable network could continue…...
esearch also showed that offenders tend to be part of or return to communities with high concentrations of offenders. The concentration of offenders in these neighborhoods affects the community negatively by increasing the stigma associated with the community and also saddling the community with additional problems without providing added resources needed for restoring or maintaining order. The ultimate consequence is the that the criminal justice system destabilizes informal networks of social control and increases poor attitudes towards formal social controls, both of which have been shown to contribute to increases in crime and disorder in the communities. Churning results in unnecessary pressure being put on the other residents of the communities who are law-abiding in disadvantaged communities. The removal of men from the community through incarceration has the chilling effect of changing the family's socio-economic structure. The families of incarcerated members, especially men, of the community also face stigma…...
mlaReferences
Burke, K. And Leben, S. (2007). Procedural Fairness: A key Ingredient in Public Satisfaction.
Court Review: The Journal of the American Judges Association. 44 (1), 4-25.
Davis, A.J. (2008). Racial Fairness in the Criminal Justice System: The Role of the Prosecutor. Colombia Human Rights Law Review. 202 (39), 202-32.
Hurwitz, J and Peffley, M. (2001). Racial Polarization on Criminal Justice Issues:
1. The Concept of Justice in Rawls and Nozick's Political Theory:
- Analyze and compare John Rawls' and Robert Nozick's theories of justice.
- Discuss the implications of their views on social and economic equality.
- Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of their respective arguments.
2. Utilitarianism vs. Deontology: A Comparative Analysis:
- Compare and contrast the ethical theories of utilitarianism and deontology.
- Explore the strengths and weaknesses of each theory in terms of their application to political decision-making.
- Discuss the relevance of these theories in contemporary political debates.
3. The Legitimacy of Political Authority:
- Examine different theories of....
I. Introduction
A. Explanation of the electoral process
B. Thesis statement: The electoral process does not equally represent all voices
II. Lack of representation for marginalized groups
A. Women
1. Historical exclusion from voting rights
2. Underrepresentation in political office
B. People of color
1. Voter suppression tactics
2. Lack of diversity in elected officials
III. Influence of money in politics
A. Wealthy individuals and corporations
1. Ability to fund political campaigns
2. Influence on policy decisions
B. Disadvantage for lower-income individuals
1. Limited resources for campaigning
2. Lack of access to political power
IV. Limitations of the electoral system
A. Winner-take-all system
....
I. Introduction
A. Explanation of the electoral system
B. Importance of the electoral system in democracy
II. Types of Electoral Systems
A. First-past-the-post
1. Explanation of how it works
2. Advantages and disadvantages
B. Proportional representation
1. Explanation of how it works
2. Advantages and disadvantages
III. Case studies of countries with different electoral systems
A. United States (First-past-the-post)
1. Discussion of the electoral college
2. Analysis of the impact on election outcomes
B. Germany (Proportional representation)
1. Explanation of the mixed-member system
2. Evaluation of the representation of smaller parties
IV. Reforms and challenges in electoral systems
A. Recent reforms in electoral....
## Outlining an Essay on Electoral Systems
I. Introduction
A concise overview of electoral systems and their significance
State the thesis statement, outlining the focus of the essay
II. Types of Electoral Systems
A. Majoritarian Systems
First-past-the-post (FPTP)
Plurality
Alternative vote (AV)
B. Proportional Representation (PR) Systems
List PR
Single transferable vote (STV)
Mixed-member proportional (MMP)
C. Hybrid Systems
First-past-the-post with proportional representation (FPTP-PR)
Parallel voting
III. Advantages and Disadvantages of Electoral Systems
A. Majoritarian Systems
Advantages: Decision-making efficiency, strong executive branch
Disadvantages: Underrepresentation of minorities, discouragement of third parties
B. Proportional Representation (PR) Systems
Advantages: Representation of diverse viewpoints, reduction of electoral....
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