Elections & Rights PDF

Elections & Rights ELECTIONS: Free & fair elections = democracy (Everyone is eligible to vote no matter the social position rich or poor, it means people can run for whatever office) What makes an election unfair: if votes are counted incorrectly if they’re tamper...

Elections & Rights ELECTIONS: Free & fair elections = democracy (Everyone is eligible to vote no matter the social position rich or poor, it means people can run for whatever office) What makes an election unfair: if votes are counted incorrectly if they’re tampered with or in other words if it’s not counted by people who do not benefit from the election of a specific person if the ballots are not secret Secret ballot (ballot= the thing you write who you vote for on) All citizens over 18 are eligible to vote Everyone should vote, not everyone votes Federal elections are generally every four years in October Fixed BC elections are 3rd Saturday in October every four years ( or by Vice Regal proclamation ) - Elections are held on Saturdays and not Sundays or Fridays: Churchs are busy on Sundays, and some people work on Fridays so they have more time on Saturdays What indicates who you should vote for: how much money you should be taxed how the money should be taxed ELECTIONS CANADA (federal level) ELECTIONS BC (provincial level): Elections Canada: Conducts federal elections and referendums Elections BC: Conducts provincial elections and referendums Both are independent & non-partisan (non-partisan=non biased) Chief Electoral Officer (organizes elections) - organizes elections - hires workers - sets up voting stations What are the most common places used for voting: Schools, community centers, church basements Elections Canada= runs/conducts Chef electoral=organizes ELECTION CAMPAIGNS: Before an election happens, election campaigns run for about 36 days to 2 months before election day Most politicians belong to a party because they get support and campaign support from the party Parties organize and fund campaigns  Campaign donations are tax deductible, which means people could deduct it from their taxes. Who decides this ? The government( its politicians) Volunteers: put and collect campaign signs, and get volunteer hours for it TWO ELECTION SYSTEMS: First -Past-the-Post: Winner Takes All. (The person who gets the most votes win) Proportional Representation: Seats divided by popular vote, more democratic and complicated (if you get 52% of the votes it means you get 52% of votes) allows door to be opened to extremest parties) PUBLIC OPINION POLLS: Conducted by politicians,media & polling companies They ask people: Who are you going to vote for? What issues do you care about? May impact campaign strategy & voting Polling companies mostly call and asks questions. Gets politicians to talk about what people are concerned about or want to happen. They could change what a candidate talks about ELECTION REPORTING: Media’s choices of what to cover can shape election.Media plays a big role. A free media is vital to elections. Media could also ruin a politician. Access to accurate and true information is essential to democracy Media literacy is vital to democracy. You need to know the person’s motivation in giving the information to you. This doesn’t mean everything you hear is a lie it means you need to look at the evidence you could base your voting Medias such as newspaper are more interested in keeping the viewers & giving a good story rather than giving right information. Social media news are nowadays mostly to get attention. FORMATIVE ASSESMENT 1. What is the relationship between free & fair elections with secret ballots and democracy? In a democracy everyone are free to vote for whoever they want anonymously. 2. Who can vote in Canada? All citizens over 18 3. Who runs elections in Canada? ELECTIONS CANADA (federal level) ELECTIONS BC (provincial level):  4. Should voting be compulsory ? Why or why not? Yes, because the leader of the country decides the future of the country and its people. By voting, we’re taking a step towards choosing our future. 5. How can donations impact elections? The person who has the most donations can get more advertisement. 6. How do election campaigns work? The campaigns take 36 days to 2 months. Parties organize and fund the campaigns. Politicians get support and campaign support from the party. There are some volunteers who put and collect law signs. Campaigns are there to convince you to vote 7. What is the ‘first past the post’ system? A system in which the person who gets the most votes wins. 8. How does proportional representation work? Seats divided by popular vote. The percentage of the vote indicates the percentage of the seats a politician gets. 9. How do polls influence elections? Polls get politicians to talk about what people are concerned about or want to happen. They could change what a candidate talks about and impact the campaign strategies. 10. How can the media impact elections? Medias such as newspapers are more interested in keeping their viewers & giving a good story rather than giving right information, so their choice of what to cover can shape elections. PARTY POLITICS IN CANADA: There are 5 main federal political parties in Canada: ➔ Conservative ➔ Liberal ➔ NDP ➔ Green ➔ Bloc Quebecois Traditionally dominated by the Liberals and the Conservatives Most Canadian politicians belong to a party Members of a political party share common beliefs called a political ideology. THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM Political parties / ideologies can be plotted on the political spectrum They’re measured from left to right In the middle, classic liberalism where the individual is more important than government. The idea is that the government should let us live our own lives On the extremes, the government has more power than the people.. Communism is on the extreme left: government more powerful than the people  Totalitarianism on the extreme right:government more powerful than the people Communism and Totalitarianism: The government is based on force and fear (opposite of democracy) Simplified: The political spectrum is a linear representation in which political parties and ideologies are measured from left to right, with classic liberalism at the center emphasizing individual rights over government power. on the extreme left there’s an emphasis on a government that is more powerful than the people, and on the extreme right prioritizing government power over individual freedoms is emphasized. ON THE SPECTRUM: EXTREME LEFT (communism) : All citizens are equal. Government controls all wealth & power. FAR LEFT (socialism): High taxes for wealthy to eliminate extreme wealth and poverty. CENTER: Freedom of the individual. The state is less important than the individual citizen. RIGHT OF CENTER (conservative): Personal freedom. Government should leave people alone. Low taxes, private enterprise, people should look after themselves, total competition, law & order. Governments main job is national security,law & order. (It’s not society’s responsibility to look after you) EXTREME RIGHT (Totalitarianism) : Total control by elites.Government doesn’t need the consent of people, government controls people CANADIAN POLITICAL PARITIES OPERATING IN BC: LIBERAL – Left of Centre ( a balance of individual freedom & government intervention to make society more fair) CONSERVATIVE – Right of Centre ( Small government, emphasis on freedom. Leave people alone) NDP – Leftwing ( Socialist – high taxation & regulations in order to provide social services to eliminate poverty) GREEN – Left of Centre ( Don’t like the spectrum but believe in government intervention to control the economy to protect the environment and provide services.) CITIZENS AND POLITICAL PARTIES: Citizens may participate in party politics by:  ➔ Donating money ➔ Joining a political party ➔ Choosing the Leader ➔ Volunteering for a party ➔ Campaigning ➔ Starting your own political party Non party Participation: Non-Governmental Organizations (Ngo): (health,economics,Doctors without Borders) Lobby Groups/pressure groups: public groups who try to influence government Lobbyist: proffesionals hired try to influence politicians Political Protests: There are different ways of protesting. Peaceful protest: completely legal Civil Disobedience: - It’s breaking the law - Mostly about property - Ex: vandalize,start fires, throw rock at windows Ter·ror·ism: (noun) the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims. POLITICS AND YOU! Voting is how most people participate in democracy. Voting is what gives people control over the government they live under and gives government the right to be in charge of our lives. That’s why it’s important to determine your political values. The participation of the majority of people in the electoral process is essential for a democracy. Participation gives you the right to give your opinion. FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT: 1. What do Liberals believe? There needs to be a balance of individual freedom & government intervention to make society more fair 2. What do the Conservatives believe? They believe in having a small government, emphasising on freedom, & leaving people alone 3. What does the NDP believe? The NDP party members are socialists. They believe in high taxation & regulations in order to provide social services to eliminate poverty. 4. What do the Greens believe? They don’t like the spectrum but believe in government intervention to control the  economy, protect the environment, and provide services. 5. What’s the political spectrum and how does it work? The political spectrum is a linear representation in which political parties and ideologies are measured from left to right, with classic liberalism at the center emphasizing individual rights over government power. on the extreme left there’s an emphasis on a government that is more powerful than the people, and on the extreme right prioritizing government power over individual freedoms is emphasized. 6. Describe how citizens participate in politics ? Citizens participate in party politics by Donating money, joining a political party, choosing the leader, volunteering or a party, campaigning, and starting your own political party 7. What is an NGO and what do they do? It’s a non party participation that addresses problems such as health,economics, and doctors without Borders. 8. What is a lobby group and what do they do? Lobby groups are public groups who try to influence government aka “pressure groups” 9. What types of political protest exist? 1- Peacful protests 2- Civil Disobedience 3- Terrorism 10. What’s the difference between peaceful protest, civil,disobedience and terrorism? They differ in their level of violence. Peacful protests are legal while civil disobedience and terrorism are illegal and are considered crime.