ELIZABETH MATA : ELECTIONS MATTER

I will be reviewing the very important topics that we covered in these past classes. These topics  we covered were very eye opening for me and I hope it was not just me that these presentations helped.

The topics for this presentation are things that will be or are already being affected by the upcoming elections. These topics were education policies, gender equality, immigration policies, and the electorate and the election process. For this group assignment I was a bit nervous to present because these topics can be difficult to discuss without being biased. Out of all the topics I would have personally liked to dive into the educational policies due to some personal beliefs but another group got to it first.

My group ended up being the last to choose a topic and we ended up with the electorate and the election process. Of all the topics this was the one I least wanted to cover due to it being a confusing topic for me. My part of the presentation was “America vs. The World”. While working on this presentation with my group I was able to understand more of the Electoral process. I also learned of the different processes of voting in other countries. In order to distinguish the differences between the countries' voting systems I needed to learn more about the different types of governments and the names of the different types of voting systems outside our own. Being able to distinguish Authoritarian Governments and Democratic Governments is the first step to learning about others' election process.

All the countries despite the type of government use one of the following systems for their elections: Plurality Electoral SystemsMajority Electoral Systems,Proportional Representation (PR). Learning how each one works and the different rules each one uses I was able to come to understand why our electoral system is so different from the rest.

Although you are always hearing “go vote” it is always difficult to pinpoint the facts and to avoid biased takes on different topics that are affected by voting. I do believe we covered some of the bigger concerns when it comes to voting in our class and being able to receive that information whether inside out class or out is something I am very appreciative of.

Learning from my fellow classmates in Group 3 about the impact this election can have on education policies, made me do more research into the party the way that I personally vote for and their policies. The way Lissett Martin Pedraza listed the major differences between the 2 parties also helped me solidify my vote seeing how extremely different the two would handle aspects of the education system.

In Group 4 research and presented on the topic Immigration policies. This is the one topic I am kind of glad we were not assigned. I say this because I know Miami is such a mix  of cultures and it is a topic many may take personal or have extremely different views. Although this is a topic I believe is difficult to talk about, Group 4 did an amazing job in presenting this with facts. Sade Estupinan listed different acts that have been created over time(Chinese Exclusion Act, The Immigration Act of 1924) . I believe this shows that this is not just a current topic of debate but an ongoing one. Group 4 also provided the outlooks of both parties when it comes to immigration and it is important to know this information because it will impact the lives of everyone that is trying to enter our country. These policies can also affect the future generations of immigrants which is why we should remain informed about their policies when it is time to cast your vote in this election.

The final group to present was Group 1 and their topic was gender equality. Of all the topics this one is on that directly impacts me as a person. This topic motivated me the most to go out and exercise my right to vote since it reflected upon a time where I might not have had a right to vote if not for certain movements and amendments put into place. If not for the right to vote and use our own voices many of the issues might still be going on today. Group 1 did a great job presenting how equal pay , reproductive rights and gender rights can be affected by voting. Although women have overcome many obstacles there are still many more to handle such as women in certain job positions not being taken as seriously or not being respected in the workforce. 

Even though women tend to be the ones mostly pushing for gender equality they are not the only ones who will be affected. As presented by Group 1 this topic also affects parents of any gender , the LGBTQ, and men.

I am grateful to have been able to listen to all the groups in the class and to learn new information before the election. Not only was I able to learn new information about these topics but fortunately I was even provided with early voting information and the different ways that I can make a difference such as signing up to work for the polls. 

In my group we even had someone who had worked the polls before Fabian Ramos. Thankfully he was able to provide more insights since he was very passionate about the electorate and the election process and made an amazing brochure. Luckily, I was able to attend the event where I had the chance to see all the brochures created by the other groups and classes. These other classes although they had the same topics they were all able to provide different points to the topic.Even though I was nervous to dive into the political side of things I am glad we were assigned this presentation. This presentation helped me feel secure in my vote and helped to know that my voice matters.