The Constitution is based on several key principals the most notable would include: separation of powers as well as checks and balances. Separation of powers is when there are clearly defined powers that are given to the various branches of: the government, the federal government and the states. Checks and balances is when one branch of the government will have the power to the check the authority of another branch. (Wood) for example, the Constitution would specifically spell out various powers of the executive branch. During the course of exercising these different powers, a citizen brings a lawsuit against the government in the judicial branch. Where, they claim that the actions that the executive branch is taking are unconstitutional. In this particular case, the executive branch would work off of the powers given to them in the Constitution. When they begin to overstep these boundaries, another branch of the….

In terms of outcomes and successes, it can be said that the small voter turnout, especially in the recent elections of 2004 when only 54% of the population with the right to vote actually exercised it (Pimbo, 2004) it is of little importance the actual result. The rule of Thabo Mbeki has been certified twice in the Presidential office in 1999 and 2004. Nonetheless, in both occasions, the fact that the ruling party, the African National Congress, has held an undisputed majority was obvious in the electoral results. u comparison, "the opposition share of the vote has declined since 1994" (Pimbo, 2004). Therefore, there is little evidence of an important opposition force, an aspect which limits the democratic process.

There are other issues which are relevant for the electoral system in South Africa. Given the historical background, representation of the minorities is a crucial matter. According to statistics, it may seem….

California's Electoral System of Today -- No return to the New York Tammany!
It would be tempting to view the defeat of the Tammany Hall Political Machine by the opponents of political corruption as the clear triumph of good over evil. But the victory of the greatness of the 'morning glories' sniffed at by the politicians over Boss Tweed and his ilk was not so simply realized. The fall of the party bosses had as much to do with negative as well as positive political, historical and social influences upon the urban landscape of America. The first foremost and most sweeping example of this is the Great Depression that precipitated the subsequent nationally-based New Deal policies of the Roosevelt administration. This economic catastrophe created a program of federal social welfare surmounted the informal 'good corruption' policies on a local level that had allowed the Tammany politicians of the George Washington Plunkitt….

Essay Prompt Is the Election System Flawed?

What do you believe to be the greatest challenge or flaw in our current campaign and election system? Why? Next, describe how you would address or fix this problem. Your response should be a minimum of a paragraph in length (5-7 sentences).
Flawed U.S. Electoral System
While many people will have varying and different opinions, the biggest problem with the electoral system is the party system, and for a couple of reasons. First, people of the same party will band together against the actions of another party just because it is the other side doing it and not because of the merits. For example, many Democrats were against the use of executive orders when George W. Bush was using them but they are quizzically silent (for the most part) when Obama does the same thing (Moore, 2014). Similarly, Republicans would probably want Antonin Scalia replaced right away….

Voting in the USIntroductionThe winner-takes-all or first-past-the-post system used in the United States is also known as a plurality voting system. It is a simple and straightforward system where the candidate who receives the most votes in a district wins that district's election. The same principle applies at the state level, where the candidate who wins the most districts across the state wins the state's electoral votes. This paper will discuss the electoral system in the US and compare it to others to see which is most democratic.The US SystemIn the United States, each state is allocated a number of electoral votes based on its population. The total number of electoral votes is 538, and the candidate who wins at least 270 electoral votes becomes the president. In most states, the winner of the popular vote also wins all of the state's electoral votes, which is why this system is….

Perhaps more significantly, adopting this system would eliminate the U.S. Electoral College, and reduce the priority of national presidential candidates having to woo certain states with many electoral votes, such as California or Texas, as every citizen's vote would be worth the same amount. In Russia the impact of the system has been minimal and not necessarily promoted democracy. "In 1996 Boris Yeltsin won barely a third of the vote in the first round; in 2000 and 2004 Vladimir Putin won an absolute majority in the first round" (Munro 2008). In short, a viable opposition party, or preferably parties must challenge the chief executive to truly create a contentious election. But under the regime of Putin, oppositional elements have been suppressed, although the president seems popular, according to Russian public opinion polls.

orks Cited

Munro, Neil. (30 Jan 2008). "Russia Votes." Centre for the Study of Public Policy:

University of Aberdeen. The Levada….

Electoral Democracy
Different forms of government have been tried in just about every country on Earth since the beginning of modern history, with varying successes. Out of all these processes, the "lesser" of all evils has been democracy, according to Winston Churchill. However, democracy is not perfect at all, though it seems to be a better-suited government for humankind, especially because it provides us with many freedoms. Minimal democracy is defined as the 20th century democratic political system which means that its most powerful decision-makers are selected through "fair, honest and periodic elections in which candidates clearly compete for votes and in which virtually all the adult population is eligible to vote," according to Samuel Huntington. This definition is an adequate definition for electoral democracy because it provides one with all the elements that should make up an electoral democratic process. This essay will thus provide the reader with the strengths….

Electoral Politics
As detailed quite eloquently in Chapter 15 of Haywood's text, having political power is not simply getting one's way in a crude and overt manner, like passing or pushing a bill through congress. Rather, power also involves the task of agenda-setting itself, putting an idea upon the national platform of discourse. The author additionally cites Bacharatz and Baratz as critical in defining not simply making yes or no the key player in politics -- for instance, for many years, the discrimination against Black Americans was not even part of the national discussion, until the civil rights movement. (126) Black Americans were an invisible political voice, though a sizable minority in America.

Application of agenda-setting to today's political life

Today, the role of military service and how it affects one's fitness as commander in chief is part of the national debate. The right to rule (129) is equated with military experience, rather….

Pluralist theorists often dispute that political power in Texas is dispersed among an extensive range of rival groups and interests, and that this rivalry serves to limit the power of any single group on the institutions of government. Even though there are noticeable dissimilarities in the resources of groups, there is adequate opposition and dealings among the groups to attain the objectives of a democratic society. Public policy, in this outlook, reveals the cooperation of rival interests (the Power of Interest Groups, 2010).

Supporters of elitist theory contend that political power in Texas is concerted in the hands of a comparatively small amount of people who obtain their funds from influential institutional bases. These institutions are joined collectively with multifaceted interconnected associations, and access to their leadership places is limited. Known as the Texas Establishment, those who dominated authority in the past were mostly white males from the higher socioeconomic groups.….

How the Electoral System Works and Why It Is UndemocraticThe purpose of this paper is four-fold: 1) to describe the voting system in the United States and explain how it works; 2) to compare the American electoral system with the other types of voting systems; 3) to contrast the American electoral system with the other types of systems; and, 4) to provide an opinion as to which type of electoral system is the most democratic. Finally, the paper also provides a summary of the research and significant findings concerning the voting system in the United States in the conclusion.Identify the type of voting system in the United States and thoroughly explain the how it works;The voting system that is used in the United States to elect the president and vice president at present is termed the electoral college, which was created by the Founders as a compromise between having the….

The voter is grappling with an economic landscape that has seen income inequality increase, with the elites enjoying prosperity; while the middle class hemorrhages wealth and loses income.
The economic variable is the most prominent short-term factor which affects the voter however, equally pressing is the "long-term predisposition" (Miller, W. & Niemi, R. 2002. P. 170) of the voter concerning; "an egalitarian/free-market values dimension that contrasts egalitarian or socialist vs. laissez-faire or free-market values" (Miller, W. & Niemi, R. 2002. P. 172). Voters in Europe and The U.S. are confronted with this polemical; the social democracy governed by a redistribution mentality, or the allure of capitalism and wealth creation despite its penchant for gyrations and economic uncertainty. The coming elections have at their core these fundamental choices based on both short-term and long-term factors, yet will voters have the ability, tools, or option to cast a vote representative of their….

Criminal Justice System
Australian Criminal Justice System

"When all is said and done, the current criminal justice system is about as fair and effective as we can reasonably expect"

Overview of the Criminal Justice System: Fair and Effective - Penal Populism

The Democracy at Work thesis proposes that politicians have been properly responsive to public concern about crime by putting into place the more robust responses to offending which people want. An alternative perspective is that politicians have been populist in advocating these tougher policies. "Penal populism"; a term equivalent to Bottoms's (1995) "populist punitiveness"; is defined here as a punishment policy developed primarily for its anticipated popularity. Penal policy is particularly susceptible to populism, because there is a great deal of public concern about crime, and low levels of public knowledge about sentencing practice, sentencing effectiveness, and sentencing equity. This combination of concern and lack of knowledge can present politicians with the temptation….

The merits of the two-party system all stem from its perceived (and probably justifiably so) stability. That stability is offered by many as reason enough to avoid rocking the boat. But, as presented here, the arguments against the two-party system and, indeed, maybe against stability itself, are more persuasive. The U.S. can handle electoral dynamics associated with more than two parties, and it seems that the governing body can only benefit from the injection of new, perhaps radical, ideas. hile the two-party system is unlikely to change in the near future, it seems possible that a charismatic and visionary leader from a third party could tap into broad public dissatisfaction and create a whole new chapter for America.

orks Cited

Alesina, Alberto. (1988). Credibility and Policy Convergence in a Two-Party System

with Rational Voters. The American Economic Review, 78 (4): 796-805

Arjmand, Marzieh. (2010). Two-Party System in the United States. Available at:

http://ezinearticles.com/?Two-Party-System-in-the-United-States&id=3498174

Dalton, Russell J.….

Eason Jordan made what he defined as a "life and death" decision to withhold information that might get his informants killed in Iraq. "It's very simple," he said. "Do you report things that get people killed? The answer is no.," (cited by Rutenberg, 2003). Jordan's decision is a little bit surprising, considering the media's generally ruthless approach to journalism: such as the push to get the story first, or to glean information before competitors in the industry. Journalism is cutthroat enough on an individual level: leading reporters on the ground and editorial boards to make decisions that are in the best interest of the company, but which are not necessarily ethical.
In the case with Eason Jordan, however, it seems that the editorial choice might have been the ethical one. Although "several journalism professors and commentators said Mr. Jordan had compromised CNN's journalistic mission so the cable network could continue….

esearch also showed that offenders tend to be part of or return to communities with high concentrations of offenders. The concentration of offenders in these neighborhoods affects the community negatively by increasing the stigma associated with the community and also saddling the community with additional problems without providing added resources needed for restoring or maintaining order. The ultimate consequence is the that the criminal justice system destabilizes informal networks of social control and increases poor attitudes towards formal social controls, both of which have been shown to contribute to increases in crime and disorder in the communities. Churning results in unnecessary pressure being put on the other residents of the communities who are law-abiding in disadvantaged communities. The removal of men from the community through incarceration has the chilling effect of changing the family's socio-economic structure. The families of incarcerated members, especially men, of the community also face stigma….

1. The Concept of Justice in Rawls and Nozick's Political Theory:
- Analyze and compare John Rawls' and Robert Nozick's theories of justice.
- Discuss the implications of their views on social and economic equality.
- Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of their respective arguments.


2. Utilitarianism vs. Deontology: A Comparative Analysis:
- Compare and contrast the ethical theories of utilitarianism and deontology.
- Explore the strengths and weaknesses of each theory in terms of their application to political decision-making.
- Discuss the relevance of these theories in contemporary political debates.


3. The Legitimacy of Political Authority:
- Examine different theories of....

I. Introduction
A. Explanation of the electoral process
B. Thesis statement: The electoral process does not equally represent all voices

II. Lack of representation for marginalized groups
A. Women
1. Historical exclusion from voting rights
2. Underrepresentation in political office
B. People of color
1. Voter suppression tactics
2. Lack of diversity in elected officials

III. Influence of money in politics
A. Wealthy individuals and corporations
1. Ability to fund political campaigns
2. Influence on policy decisions
B. Disadvantage for lower-income individuals
1. Limited resources for campaigning
2. Lack of access to political power

IV. Limitations of the electoral system
A. Winner-take-all system
....

I. Introduction
A. Explanation of the electoral system
B. Importance of the electoral system in democracy

II. Types of Electoral Systems
A. First-past-the-post
1. Explanation of how it works
2. Advantages and disadvantages

B. Proportional representation
1. Explanation of how it works
2. Advantages and disadvantages

III. Case studies of countries with different electoral systems
A. United States (First-past-the-post)
1. Discussion of the electoral college
2. Analysis of the impact on election outcomes

B. Germany (Proportional representation)
1. Explanation of the mixed-member system
2. Evaluation of the representation of smaller parties

IV. Reforms and challenges in electoral systems
A. Recent reforms in electoral....

## Outlining an Essay on Electoral Systems

I. Introduction

A concise overview of electoral systems and their significance
State the thesis statement, outlining the focus of the essay

II. Types of Electoral Systems

A. Majoritarian Systems
First-past-the-post (FPTP)
Plurality
Alternative vote (AV)
B. Proportional Representation (PR) Systems
List PR
Single transferable vote (STV)
Mixed-member proportional (MMP)
C. Hybrid Systems
First-past-the-post with proportional representation (FPTP-PR)
Parallel voting

III. Advantages and Disadvantages of Electoral Systems

A. Majoritarian Systems
Advantages: Decision-making efficiency, strong executive branch
Disadvantages: Underrepresentation of minorities, discouragement of third parties
B. Proportional Representation (PR) Systems
Advantages: Representation of diverse viewpoints, reduction of electoral....