ELECTION 2004:
Candidate Issues on the Environment
Introduction| Tasks| Exercise 1| Exercise 2| Final Project| Evaluation| Conclusion|
Over the next two
months, candidates from the Democratic and Republican parties will be trying to
convince the American public to vote for them in the 2004 presidential race. You
will witness on TV and radio as well as in the paper and online numerous debates
between those supporting George W. Bush and those backing John Kerry. These debates center around issues
regarding the economy, education reform, the environment, our war on terror, and
international relations- just to name a few!
As a
voter-in-the-making, it is important to know where each candidate stands on the
issues so that you can make an informed decision on whom to support come
Election Day in November. But where do you start? How do you know which issues
Bush & Kerry support? And in what ways do they differ? You may be wondering
why this is of importance to you – just remember that the president who is
elected this year and his affiliated political party will influence the job
market, college tuition, healthcare, homeland security and the quality of your
environment when you graduate from high school!
Over the next two
days, we will be exploring one aspect of the presidential race that directly
affects biological systems and the world you live in- issues regarding the
environment. Using online sources
and class discussions, we will dissect the various laws and policies supported
or proposed by each candidate. And then, you as the American citizen will choose
who to “vote for”.
Before diving right
into environmental issues, let’s take a step back and look at the election
process.
q How does it work?
q What is its governing
structure?
In our introductory
exercise (Exercise 1), we are going to summarize and explain the processes of
nomination, voting, and eventual inauguration. As you work though this activity, you
will want to reflect on the following questions:
q Does the electoral system
make sense to you?
q Why is it important that
each citizen vote?
q Aside from voting, how else
can one support their candidate?
Once we have
reviewed how elections work in the United States, we can then explore the
environment issues surrounding the presidential race and where each candidate
stands (Exercise 2). Your findings from this second activity will then be used
towards the development of a final group campaign poster and class presentation.
As MTV would put it, you too can “Rock the Vote!”.
III.
Exercise
1: The Election Process
After this web
quest you will be able to:
- Define the basic structure
of the U.S. election process
- Identify the roles and
responsibilities of the voter
- Identify the role of the
electoral college
- Compare the U.S. election
process with that of another country
- Consider the pros and cons
of our current system
Below you will find various
government and private links to election sites. As you explore each, complete
the following:
1) Create a diagram or outline
that illustrates the U.S. presidential election process. For instance, which
comes first: the party’s convention, electors’ vote, citizens’ vote, Election
Day, or the Inauguration? And how
is the winner determined?
2) Compare the role of the
voter with that of the elector. How do they differ?
3) Finally, reflect on the
process of election. Does the current system need improvements or is it fine
just as it is? Why is it important that we participate in the election? In
addition to voting, how else can we support a candidate?
Resources:
q U.S. Government Guide to
Presidential Elections http://bensguide.gpo.gov/9-12/election/primary.html
q Encarta Encyclopedia http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_1741500781_4/United_States_(Government).html#s39
q “How the President Gets
Elected” http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0878225.html
Feel free to ask questions.
Once you have completed this exercise, raise you hand and contact the teacher
before proceeding to the next exercise.
IV. Exercise 2: The Candidates
& Environmental Issues
After this
second web quest you will be able to:
- Identify three
environmental issues pertaining to the upcoming presidential
election
- Categorize where each
candidate stands on these issues
Using the online resources
below, create a table listing each candidate and their stance on three separate
environmental issues - Does one candidate support the issue and the other does
not? Why is this? To set up your table, as an example, Column A could be Bush
and Column B could be Kerry, with each of the three environmental issues in a
row. Keep in mind that the more information you fill in, the better prepared you
will be for the final project. Once the data sheet is completed, reflect on the
following question:
q
Which candidate’s
environmental policies make the most sense to you? In what ways?
Resources:
q New York Times
Feature
www.nytimes.com/learning/election2004
q Additional News Articles on
Environmental Issues
http://environment.about.com/od/election2004/
q “On the Issues” by
Government Official
http://www.issues2000.org/Environment.htm#Headlines
q National Public Radio (NPR)
Reports on Campaign Issues (scroll down to Environment) http://www.npr.org/politics/issues2004/
Great Job So
Far – now to the final Project!
Final Project: Who gets your
vote?
From your previous work on the candidates and
the environmental issues surrounding their campaigns, you will now choose a
candidate that best aligns with your beliefs, priorities and views. Two groups
will then be formed by candidate (Bush or Kerry). Each group will create a
campaign poster highlighting the strengths of their candidate in regards to the
environment. A group presentation will also be made to the class about each
candidate and how, if elected, this candidate would positively impact the local
environment of Onondaga County, NY.
Your grade on this activity will depend on the
following things:
- The thoroughness with which you completed Exercises 1
and 2.
1. Were
questions answered completely with rationales clearly stated?
2. Were
you answers well written, descriptive and original (i.e. not pasted from the
online sources)?
- The thoroughness in which
you completed your final project.
1. Did you contribute to the
group’s work?
2. How
well did you work with your group members?
3. Did the
final poster and presentation display originality, forethought, planning, and
cohesiveness?
4. How
well did you defend/explain your voting selection?
As citizens of the United States, we have the ability to impact the workings and policies of our government. One of the most important actions that can be taken by us is to vote. By voting, we can make an official statement about what is important to us and which governmental nominee best embodies that. We have that power and that privilege.
As
members of a community, we need to take action on issues that affect us. These
issues could relate to where we live, where we work or play, our culture, our
jobs, our education….and our environment.
It is our hope that this exercise allowed you to explore the
environmental issues in the 2004 election and connect with one of the candidates
- as well as encourage you to vote in tthe next presidential campaign!
All images taken
from www.google.com, www.msnbc.com, and www.changingworldtech.com image
galleries.
Created by Kerstin P. Mukerji
Last updated September 20,
2004