D6

I was a script writer for the polling team. I was in charge of writing the polling questions and deciding which demographics were to be use for each poll. Each poll had about 3 to 5 questions. The majority of the questions were biased, but some, such as the horse- race questions and some issue- based questions, were impartial. I also helped poll people. I contributed about 1/4 of the results for each poll. I also created the polling sheets that were given to those who were being polled. 

Poll #1 Script:

1. Do you support the government widely spending funds to help those who are retired and no longer contributing to society?

2. Do you support Obamacare, even though it requires major funding?

3. Do you believe in every unborn child’s right to life?

4. Do you support same-sex marriage?

5. Do you support Santana Afton, Ryan Cox, or Danny Wagner for Governor?

Poll #2 Script

1. Do you believe the government should take money from hard working, successful Americans by raising their taxes in order to fund welfare programs?

2. Do you support a healthcare system that restricts people’s freedom, forcing everyone to obtain health insurance, even if they do not want it?

3. Do you support Santana Afton, Ryan Cox, or Danny Wagner for Governor?

Poll #3 Script

1. In recent interviews, Ryan Cox seemed to be out of touch with his position. Would you support a candidate who doesn’t even know his own platform?

2. Independent parties often never have as much media coverage as the Democratic and Republican party, which makes it difficult for Americans to be informed of the candidate’s issues. Do you support a candidate, like independent candidate Danny Wagner, who rarely connects with the public?

3. Do you believe in restricting Americans’ 2nd Amendment rights?

4. Santana Afton has been interacting with and connecting with CHS’s student body. Would you be more inclined to vote for a candidate who understands American values, like Santana Afton?

D5

For the third mock election mission, I wrote the polling questions and polled people.

Polling questions:

In recent interviews, Ryan Cox seemed to be out of touch with his position. Would you support a candidate who doesn't even know his own platform?

Independent parties often never have as much media coverage as the Democratic and Republican party, which makes it difficult for Americans to be informed of the candidate’s issues. Do you support a candidate, like independent candidate Danny Wagner, who rarely connects with the public?

Do you believe in restricting Americans’ 2nd Amendment rights?

Santana Afton has been interacting with and connecting with CHS’s student body. Would you be more inclined to vote for a candidate who understands American values, like Santana Afton?

D4

1.

a. In Michigan, the candidates who used the most money for their campaigns usually won the election.

b. Out of 15 elections in 2012, only one candidate, who used less money than their opponents, won the election.

c. Michigan votes mostly republican.

2.

a. Northam for lieutenant governor.

b. Northam received more donations from national groups. He received $112, 934 in donations from labor groups and $31, 915 from single- interest groups. Jackson only received $10,000 from partisan groups and $5,000 from interest groups. Overall, Northam raised more money than Jackson. Northam raised  $1,889,136, while Jackson only raised $971,557.

D2

A.

1960

1. Kennedy

2. Kennedy kept saying he was not satisfied with certain aspects of the country. It evoked a need for change. It showed that the country has problems, and Kennedy is the best person to apply the improvements.

1984

1. Reagan

2. The ad evoked a sense of contentment with the current leadership in the United States. Reagan talked about the improvements of the the country for the past four years under his presidency, which made it seem as if nothing should be changed.

2012

1. Obama

2. This ad was attacking Romney for his policies, which made him seem inadequate for the position of presidency.

B.

1. The earlier campaigns were much longer. The earlier ads were around 2 to 4 minutes. They went more in depth on the issues. The current ads were about one minute long, and had more generalizations. They didn’t offer many solutions to issues, just that there needs to be improvement. The candidates in the earlier ads focused more on their own platforms. The candidates for the most current ads focused more on the bad parts of their opponents platform in order to make themselves look better suited for the position of presidency.

2. The most effective ad was the Reagan ad in 1984. The goal was to highlight the improvements under Reagan’s first presidency and to show that he was a good president that deserves another term.

D1

For mock election mission #2, I wrote the polling questions and helped poll the electorate.

Polling questions:
1. Do you believe the government should take money from hard working, successful Americans by raising their taxes in order to fund welfare programs?

2. Do you support a healthcare system that restricts people’s freedom, forcing everyone to obtain health insurance, even if they do not want it?

3. Do you support Santana Afton, Ryan Cox, or Danny Wagner for Governor?

C10

  1. The subject of this report is the people’s opinion over the recent actions of the government, and, at that time, the possibility of a government shutdown.  In this survey, people were asked how they felt about the federal government.

  2. A candidate should try to appeal to all groups of people, even if they do not share the same beliefs as a certain group. A candidate could use overall American beliefs to gain more support.

  3. More conservative republicans are angry at the government than any other political group. A candidate could use this by emphasizing government reform in order to gain republican support.

  1. Some people say they are basically content with the federal government, others say they are frustrated, and others say they are angry. Which of these best describes how you feel?

  2. For the question mentioned above, the amount of people who answered “frustrated with the government” has increased overtime and the amount of people who answered “ content with the government,” has decreased overtime.  In mid November 2001, there was a big increase in people content with the government; there was an increase of about 20 people since that previous poll. The poll results for March 2004, the next poll given, showed a decrease of about 20 people who are content with the government.  Since then, there has been a steady decrease in numbers for people who are content with the government. This shows that more people have become either frustrated or angry with the government overtime.

  3. The wording of the question is neutral.

     With the potential for millions of jobs to be furloughed due to the government shutdown and the economy to be greatly hurt, are you content, frustrated, or angry with the government?

  

  1. This poll was taken from September 25 to September 29, 2013

  2. The total sample size was 1005 people.

  3. There is a 3.7 % margin of error.
  4. There is a 95% confidence level.

C9

I wrote the polling questions. There were four questions, two social and two economic, and one horse race question. I polled about 15 people, as did the other members of the polling team.  

C8

Policies:

Terry McAuliffe: the expansion of Medicaid- more funding should go towards Medicaid.  stricter gun laws- there should be universal background checks for everyone. Gay rights and women’s rights.

Ken Cuccinelli: Medicaid- should focus on improving it rather than expanding it. Taxes- tax breaks that will help job growth. Gun laws- should not increase gun laws; should focus on improving mental health issues.

Quotes:

Terry McAuliffe: “If we are to build a new economy, we should bring everyone together.” Terry McAuliffe is referring to equal rights for everyone, including same-sex couples and women. This shows that McAuliffe focuses on forward-thinking.

Ken Cuccinelli: “The duty of the governor is to defend our constitution... I respect those duties.”  Cuccinelli is referring to his view on same- sex marriage, saying it is not part of the constitution, so it should not be legalized. This quote shows how Cuccinelli is mostly focused on abiding by the constitution, not wanting to change anything.

Style:

Terry McAuliffe: He would use his hands to emphasize a point.

Ken Cuccinelli: He would also use his hands to emphasize a point. His tone was more composed than McAuliffe.

Other: Both candidates were vague and general on the solutions to some issues.

C7

Should same- sex marriage be allowed in Virginia?

Should there be a fair and equal tax system?

C4

The Democratic Party believes in tax cuts for the middle class. They believe it would result in more money for the working class, and help families support their children and pay for college. It helps the middle class by “…putting more money in the pockets of Americans who need it most.” They also believe the wealthiest should pay more taxes because of their higher incomes. Since they have higher incomes, they have more money to pay for the taxes. The Democratic Party believes the wealthiest should “pay their fair share.” The Republican Party believes in a universal tax system where every individual is taxed the same, no matter their economic situation. Republicans believe this will help promote “American competitiveness, and recognize the burdens on families with children.” Republicans believe there should be a fair tax system, where everyone is equal, “… a tax system that is simple, transparent, flatter, and fair.”