Valentina Bracho Chourio-Reflection #2 Elections Matter Project
Elections Matter Project Reflection
The culmination of the Election matters project took place
on October 29, 2024, with the presentation on the steps of our college campus.
On this project each one of the groups had the role to do research about four core
issues or topics our government and politicians have been debating on. Gender
Equality, Education, Immigration, and the Election Process are topics that as
students, citizens/residents of this country, voters and/or future voters, we
should be educated about. This project allowed all of us to get in depth about
what the leaders of our country stand on, to make educated decisions, to hear
different perspectives, but before anything else to highlight the importance of
voting. Voting besides being a right needs to be seen as a duty, to maintain
the democratic society we live in. Especially being in election season, I could
see how all the information from the diverse groups helped me to have a view on
what happens today in our country, and to be encouraged to do even more
research.
In my personal experience as a project manager, I had the
opportunity to get in depth with two important topics such as Immigration with
group 1 and the election process with group 3. As an immigrant this allowed me
to understand in what each candidate and political party stand for on
immigration and also allowed me to understand how the election process works,
having the United States a unique electorate process as it is the electorate
college, which is not used in any other country of the world. Each group did an
excellent job doing their research and listening to all perspectives
respectfully.
Group 1
The topic from group 1 was about the Immigration policies. During this project we got more in depth about the historical overview, statistics, in what each political party stands on, local and national organizations involved, American perspective, world perspective, and individual opinions and experiences. Personally, I was in charge of presenting immigration statistics. In 2024, there is a total of 51.7 million immigrants where there are approximately fifteen million unauthorized immigrants. Moreover, it was shown that in 2023, about 47.831,00 immigrants comprehend the total population of the United States, and how most of immigrants in the United States in 2022 came from Mexico, India, China, Philippines, and El Salvador.
Along with statistics I did research from the verified websites of each political party to understand what they stand for on the topic of Immigrations policies. Democrats support five core messages such as path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, family reunification, refugee and asylum policies to take in immigrants from countries in violence and war, highlighting the importance of border security but not seem as much as a priority, and how immigrants contribute to the economy of the country by paying taxes, working and starting business. On the other hand, Republicans see border security as a priority by increasing border patrol agents and technology to monitor the border. They support the deportation of undocumented immigrants especially those with criminal records. Also, they want to ensure that immigrants come to the country legally, following the lawfully process. Employment verification is important for them as well as refugee and asylum policies; they are strict about these things to avoid abuse of the system and grant help to those who really need it.
Group 3
The topic for group three was about the electorate process
and the electorate college, our goal was to explain how the election process
works, its historical background, national and local organizations involved, the
American v. the world perspective and what the people think! On this group my
job was to only help my group as a project manager and do introductions and
conclusions, but since one of my classmates could not present in public, I
decided to speak in her place to help my classmates, which help me understand
more about the local and national organizations involved in the electorate
process.
At the national level, there are two major organizations,
the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and the League of Women Voters (LWV). The
FEC is a key player in making sure elections in the United States are run
fairly, especially when it comes to money and spending. This organization
enforces the rules around how political campaigns raise and spend the money,
ensuring that everyone is transparent. By keeping an eye on political
contributions and campaign spending, the FEC helps keep elections honest and ensures
that everyone is playing by the same rules. The LWV is another crucial
organization that focuses on helping people in voting. It is a non-partisan
group that promotes voter education and registration. Their goal is to make
sure every eligible voter understands their voting rights and has an easy
access to the polls. The LWV also pushes for policies that make voting easier
and more inclusive. They play a huge role in ensuring that the elections are
open and fair for everyone.
Very good reflection. You are a great leader!
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