Intro to Politics and Elections Part I: Read (and view) the WSJ article linked below. When you complete the brief article and the video, click through using the link below the video frame to try the Electoral College map simulation. Spend at least five minutes trying the various possibilities. When you are complete, write a 1-2 paragraph reflection [based on your experience] addressing: A.) praises for and criticism of the Electoral College System B.) the role of “swing states” vs. “safe states” C.) the potential impact of third parties in the current system http://www.wsj.com/articles/sesame-streets-grover-helps-voters-understand-the-electoral-college-1478018576

Intro to Politics and Elections Part II: In the era of a modern, technology-driven electorate, the role of digital media presence has become highly important during an election cycle. Your goal is to create a “21st century campaign” critique for each of the following: A.) the current incumbent candidate (R) B.) three primary candidates from the challenging party (D) C.) one third party candidate As you explore each candidate’s media presence, you must visit their official website, their Twitter page, and at least one other digital media source (e.g. Instagram, Snapchat, etc…). For each critique, you should describe each media outlet, evaluate their success in informing voters of their platform, and discuss the overall impact of their “digital campaign”. Your evaluation should cite directly from the source material!

Homework www.isidewith.com You need to visit this site before class on Friday. Answer the ideological questions, keeping in mind that you can expand to look at different answer choices, additional questions on the topic, and rank importance. Plan on taking appx. 20-30 minutes to complete the questions, and then 10 minutes to analyze your responses. Be sure to add in dropped candidates during your analysis! When you complete this task, answer the following questions using complete sentences: What issues did you feel most strongly about? Which issues (if any) were you unsure of? Could you or did you do any further research? Explain. How accurate do you feel the results of this survey were? Why? Did your results surprise you? Why or why not? Assess the validity of the format / methods of this survey. Any skepticism? Any praise? In what context do you feel this survey is useful? Would you recommend it to friends or family?