Ballot in California Is a

¶ … ballot in California is a proposition to legalize and tax marijuana. This issue is contentious, being the first of its kind in the United States. It also shows the impact that different interest groups can have on an election. Interest groups seek to influence legislators in order to have their own needs met by legislation. In the case of California's proposition, there are interest groups on both sides of Proposition 19. Many groups have lent support to the effort to defeat the proposition.

Among them are law enforcement groups, MADD, the California Beer and Beverage Distributors, and the California Cannabis Association, the group responsible for medical marijuana in the state. Each of these groups has its own interest. Law enforcement receives substantial funding for the war on drugs. The medical marijuana group and the alcohol distributors fear that if the bill passes they will see a reduction in their own sales.

The interest in some cases is financial, but in other cases such as MADD or the National Black Churches Initiative the interest is more ideological in nature. A number of other interest groups are in favor of the proposition. These include teacher's groups, many law enforcement groups, the ACLU, a number of unions and the U.S. Libertarian Party.

Again, the interests of these groups is varied -- law enforcement groups that understand marijuana is a waste of their time and effort, and a range of groups with an ideological stance based on the promotion of personal freedoms. Many of the interest groups involved take sides on a number of issues and with a number of candidates over the course of an election cycle. In this case, many groups are providing funding as the vote for Prop 19 is expected to be very close.

The funding by the interest groups helps to support advertising and public relations campaigns to help win voters. For the groups against the proposition on financial grounds, their investment in the campaign is in relation to the amount of money they could potentially lose if the bill passes. Reflection Essay -- Interest groups have a significant amount of control over the political system in the U.S. today. By virtue of spending and connections, interest groups are often able to have their voices heard.

Politicians are inevitably going to be faced with a number of such voices, and need to take the time to evaluate the interest that a group has in any issue. At times, the ability of interest groups to have their voices heard implies that they have disproportionate power in government. I feel that the role of the politician is to be critical about interest groups and their messages.

If a group has a stake in that issue, I feel that elected officials need to understand what that stake is, and the degree to which the interest group is supported by the general population. Indeed, it is the general population that does not have an interest group,.