Unit 4: Politics, Elections, and CitizenshipAlyssa Adamkowski, Rayan Jabr, and Scott McKeon

Citizenship Status Full Citizenship: by birth or naturalization

processImmigrant: a person trying to obtain citizenship

through naturalization Alien: a person in a country to work or visit for a

short period of timeIllegal Alien: a person in a country without

permissionRefugee: a person in a country because they are

leaving another country because of war, natural disaster, or political persecution

Naturalization Process (USCIS)1. File a Declaration of Intention and begin the 5

year wait process (only 3 if the immigrant is marrying an American citizen)

2. File an Application of Naturalization3. Interview with an USCIS official and pass a

citizenship test4. Sworn in a court with the oath of loyalty to the

USA

Rights, Duties, and Responsibilities• Right: Guaranteed by the Constitution

▫ Voting, practicing religion of choice, hold elected office, having a fair trial, and Bill of Rights

• Duty: Required by Law▫ Obeying laws, register for Selective Service, serving in court

as s witness or juror, attend school until the age of 16, paying taxes, and others

• Responsibility: Things You Should do but aren’t Required by Law▫ Voting, participating in government, respecting rights of

others, being informed and others

Non-Citizens: everything above except; they can’t vote in political elections, can’t run for government office, can’t hold certain government jobs

Theories of Integration •Melting Pot Theory: the blending of

races, peoples, and cultures

•Tossed Salad: group of people together that still holds onto their own diverse culture beliefs while being one nation

How a Candidate Runs for Office1. File a form to run for a position2. Primary Election will be held within a political

party to narrow down to the best candidate to represent the party; primary may be opened or closed

3. Candidates from each party (and independent candidates) will take part in the General Election

All elections EXCEPT the presidential election the winner is determined by majority of the popular vote

Questions Voters Should Ask Themselves

Does the candidate share my views?

Is the candidate reliable?

Is the candidate experienced?

Will the candidate be effective?

Does the candidate have a chance to win?

Electoral CollegeThe Presidential Election is held on the first Tuesday after the first

Monday in November and the winner is the candidate that receives the majority of the electoral college votes

Candidate needs 270 out of 538 electoral votes to win the

election

It is a winner take all system for electoral votes in each state

• Candidates will spend more time campaigning in the states will more

electoral votes

If no candidate receives the majority of electoral votes the House

of Representatives will select the president

Criticisms of the Electoral College1. The more populated states have more influence2. A candidate can win popular vote, but lose the

general electiono The last time was 2000, when George Bush defeated

Al Gore by carrying the bigger electoral states

3. Some people suggest that the electoral votes be split up by the percent of popular vote for each state

How Voters Can Influence Legislation

Initiative: proposed law started by grass root movement and then voted on by the constituents

Referendum: proposed law by the legislature and then voted on by the constituents

Constituents: people represented by the legislature

Political Parties A political party is a group of people with

similar political views and interests and try to influence the outcome of an election

oSelecting/ supporting a candidate

oKeep the public informed

oAct as watchdogsoGive citizens a voiceoGet citizens involved

Purpose of Political Parties:

Political SpectrumRadical: Want widespread and rapid change in political, social, and economic systems and may resort to violence to achieve goals

Liberal: Calls for gradual change in political systems and want government involvement in making this happen

Moderate: (middle of the road) share viewpoints of both liberals and conservatives and want a slower approach to change

Conservative: Favor keeping things the way they are and are very cautious about change; they believe less government is better

Reactionary: Want things to go back to the way they were and will use extreme methods like repressive government power to achieve goals

Types of Party Systems• One Party System: (China) there is no confusion over who

is in charge but other viewpoint are ignored

• Two Party System: (U.S.A.) provides stability and continuity but sometimes minority viewpoints are ignored

• Multi Party System: (Israel, Japan, Italy) provides a broad range of choices but its hard for one party to get control so they form unstable coalitions

Different Types of Interest Group Support

Particular Economic InterestoAmerican Medical Association (AMA)

oAmerican Bar Association (ABA)

Particular Ethnic, Age, or Gender Group

oNational Association Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

oNational Organization of Women (NOW)

Specific Cause oPeople Ethnical Treatment of Animals

(PETA)

oNational Rifle Association (NRA)

Public Interest oAmerican Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

Different Types of Propaganda Techniques

Glittering Generality

Use attractive but vague words that make speeches and other forms of

communication sound good but say nothing

-Miss America Answers-

Plain Folks

Makes the voters feel that the leaders are “just like them” and do the same things

the voters do

Bandwagon

Make it appear that many people have already supported a candidate and that

these people are having fun and gaining a significant advantage

Card Stacking

Candidate lists accomplishments and statistics that compare him/her favorably

to their opponent

Name Calling

Information is deliberately presented about the opponent that is discrediting in nature

Transfer/ Symbol

Candidate is shown with symbols (flag, eagle, Statue of Liberty) that makes the

candidate seem patriotic