Introduction

The election process offers U.S. citizens the opportunity to alter government in ways that reflect the needs of society.  This tremendously important part of the American political system must be supported by well informed members of the community.  People develop different views of those campaigning for election as the candidates tell about their views on important issues.  It is on the issues that citizens choose the candidate who best represents their needs.  In order to attract voters the candidates may hold a town meeting where they explain their stance on the issues.  These town meetings draw people of all types who want to find out who is the best representative of their needs.

It is in this setting that you and your fellow citizens will come together to carry out your own town meeting.  Each of the members will take on the roles of certain characters in this town meeting.  Your job will be to develop an understanding of the needs of the character whom you take.

The purpose of this project is to develop an understanding of where the political parties stand on different issues and what parts of society tend to find a candidate appealing.  By  researching the background of the candidates in the town meeting and matching them with the needs of the citizens you will develop an understanding of why it is important to become a more informed citizen as well as learning how to go about becoming informed.

Image courtesy of Al Gore's Election Homepage

Image courtesy of Ronald Reagan Presidential Library

Image courtesy of  George Bush's Election Homepage

The Task

The election process is central to the continuation of our strong democractic government.  Since elections are so important your goal is to participate in a town meeting as a specific member of society.  While in this role you should analyse political issues and evaluate the ways that these issues effect the populace.  With the information gathered you will formulate positions that you must defend.

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This project will involve five students who will examine the aspects of the presidential election from different viewpoints and then come back together to hold a town meeting/debate. One student will play the role of a Democratic candidate for president while another will portray a Republican candidate for the same position. The other three students will take on the roles of citizens representing different segments of society. One will play the part of an Upper Class businessman. Another will portray the views of a middle class minority mother. Finally, the third will depict the positions of a lower class blue-collar worker. Once each individual has a clear understanding of their role, the group will come back together for a town meeting/debate. Each candidate will prepare a short introductory speech summing up their views on issues they deem to be the most prevalent. Then, the citizens will ask questions of the candidates to determine more specifically how they would act in certain instances, define stances on issues not addressed in introductory speeches, and spark a debate between the two candidates. The citizens must prepare a position statement, in the form of an essay, on the issues that are most important to that specific segment of society.

You will have four (4) days to complete this project. The first day will cover the introduction and allow the students to familiarize themselves with the issues and positions that they will be representing. The second day will allow for the citizens to prepare their position statements and the candidates time to work on their speeches. The third day will be for the citizens to generate issue based questions to ask the candidates during the debate and for the candidates to prepare responses to questions that they think will be asked by the public. On the fourth day, the town meeting will be held.

In order to successfully complete this task, you must do the following:

• Presidential Candidates: Formulate and give a 2-3 minute speech which briefly defines why you are running and what your stances are on the issues you believe to be the most important. In addition, the other part of the evaluation will be based on your responses to the questions of the citizens:do you specifically answer their question, is your answer logical and supported, and does it follow with your overall policy statements.

• Citizens: Generate 3-5 page position paper summarizing your stances on the key issues for the group you are representing and what you are looking for in an ideal candidate. Also, you must create  10-12 ISSUE-BASED questions to ask the candidates during the town meeting. The relevance to the issues and overall quality of the questions will be taken into consideration when assigning a grade to this part of the task.

The scoring rubrics for the two types of roles can be found in the Evaluation section near the bottom of this page.

 
Before breaking up to work on your individual tasks, everyone should first look at the following sites to get a better idea of the nature of the issues that are currently under hot debate and an overall picture of the race.

 Boston Globe's Election Coverage - This is the Boston Globe's special section covering the 2000 Presidential election.

 Washington Post's Election Coverage - This is the Washington Post's extra section covering all the issues and events surrounding the upcoming Presidential Election.

 Los Angeles Times' Election Coverage - Extended coverage of the election is provided in this part of the Los Angeles Times.

 St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Election Coverage - The St. Louis Post- Dispatch's additional coverage of the presidential campaign.

Issues2000- This site is devoted to covering all of the major issues and each candidate's position on them.

In order for the town meeting to be successful in truly delving into the views of the candidates and constituents, there must be conflicting/opposing views represented by the participants. Therefore, each student shall take on a separate role in which he/she will represent the views of a broad section of society.  Please click on the links below to view these roles and their resources.

Democratic Presidental Candidate

Republican Presidential Candidate

Citizen Representing the Views of an Upper Class Business Man

Citizen Representing the Views of a Minority Working Mother of the Middle Class

Citizen Representing the Views of a Low Income Blue-Collar Worker

Evaluation
 

Students will be evaluated using one of the two rubrics provided below depending on which role the student assumes.

Scoring Rubric for Citizens:

Scoring Rubric for Candidates:

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By participating in this town meeting you should be prepared to make your decision on Election Day.  Your analysis and evaluation of the topics and issues that effect the election process will make you a more informed voter.  Now that you have played either a candidate or an involved citizen it is your turn to become an active member of the political system.  Find out what issues are important to you, take an active role in supporting your beliefs, and lobby against what is unjust.