Reflection on Activities

Polling: Today got me thinking about the nature of polls. As a citizen interested and active in politics I’ve seen a lot of data related to polls. They’re clinical, their numbers that tell you that 51% of people believe in X and 49% of people believe Y. What I didn’t perceive was that they are also personal, that they are gained by interaction. The polling experience was rewarding for me because it allowed me to gain insights into the mysterious other side of polls–the people behind them. 

Election Commission: I really enjoyed the election tour. It was interesting to me the way people were employed. The counterparts with democrats and republicans was an interesting way to ensure transparency but at the same time it shows how entrenched we are in partisan politics, how much we rely on the two-party system. I think I have a new respect for what it means when you sit on election night and hear that 8% of the state has reported. A lot goes into getting that far. 

Can you think of 3-5 reasons people would want to vote?

1. I’m an optimist, I like to think people really care about the issues and work to educate themselves enough to really make the most out of voting. 

2. Appearance: I’ve actually heard that the taller of two candidates usually wins. Unfortunately appearance matters and the appearance the media and voters like is in the visage of white males, if you don’t believe that look at what Hillary went through in 2008 being called all kinds derogatory terms based on appearance. 

3. Emotional responses: People vote based on emotion. They can vote because of admiration but mostly it seems that hate for a candidate motivates people. 

 

Can you think of 3-5 reasons people do not vote? 

The biggest reason people do not vote is apathy. So many people unfortunately don’t care or don’t think their vote will count. 

Campaign spending has gone up by millions of dollars within the past 10 years. What do you think candidates are spending the money on? 

Firstly, money does not constitute speech (in my opinion). I think the money is used to perfect a media personality for the candidate. 

General Wrap-Up

What did you know about today’s activity prior to today’s experience? I know a lot about polls and the voting process and the different kinds of polls (Exit Polls, Push Polls, etc). The election process was pretty clear to me in theory but it was great to get a firsthand look at what it looks like in practice on the local level. I also got to send in my voter registration (tomorrow!) and am very interested in working in a polling place, hopefully next year!