Legislature

I did not know anything about the legislature before this section. I now know that state governments, like the federal government, are divided into three distinct branches. The legislative branch makes the laws, the executive branch carries out the laws, and the judicial branch interprets the laws. This guide's focus is the legislative branch and the process by which laws are made in South Dakota.
The South Dakota Legislature is bicameral, or composed of two bodies. The other states also have bicameral legislatures with one exception. The Nebraska Legislature is unicameral, or composed of only one body.
In South Dakota, the two bodies are the Senate and the House of Representatives. The state constitution provides that the Senate shall consist of not fewer than 25 nor more than 35 members and that the House shall consist of not fewer than 50 or more than 75 members. Currently, the Senate has 35 members and there are 70 members of the House of Representatives.
The state comprises 35 legislative districts. (See following map.) Voters in each district elect one senator and two representatives. Every ten years, in accordance with the state constitution, the Legislature must redraw the boundaries of the legislative districts to reflect shifts in the state's population. This reapportionment process keeps the districts as equally populated as possible. That way, every state citizen receives equal representation.

Bonds

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bond_(finance)
http://www.ehow.com/video_4981375_finance-bonds.html

The Electoral Process

I have mixed feelings towards the electoral process. I like the system that gives states a certain number of electoral votes. However, I think that the number of votes assigned to a state should be more equal or split into regions. This would make candidates campaign more in the less populated areas and turn their attention to the whle U.S.

Voter Apathy

I think that voter apathy is a serious problem in our country. With the percentage of voters dropping, we have less influence on the election. Electing a president is the most important part of our government. The president is the one who has the power to fix the problems that we struggle with nationally. If people don't care about who is elected president then they don't care about the good of their country.
To reduce voter apathy, I believe that candidates should spend a portion of their campaign talking about the importance of voting. There are different organizations that are also trying to get more people to vote. The biggest problem is that most people are not educated in our government. There are a lot of people who don't know what issues are being presented or how they are represented. The fix to this problem would be for voters to talk to and encourage nonvoters to take the time and vote. It is an simple process that makes a big impact.

Ch. 6 Review

1. I think an important issue of Section 1 is the five stages of expanding suffrage. In the beginning only white males of certain religious belief. The first stage was that religious qualifications disappeared. Then citizens weren't supposed to be denied the right to vote because of race or color, but there were other ways African Americans were kept from voting. Third women were allowed to vote, and then African Americans were given a full role in the electoral process in all states. And lastly, no state can set the minimum voting age at more than 18.

2. An important issue in Section 2 was voting registration. It is an important issue because it is what keeps voting organized and fair. Registration is a porcedure of voter identification intended to prevent fraudulent voting. All States except North Dakota use voting registration. It is also useful to have poll books to keep track of qualified voters in each precinct, and they need to be purged every few years to eliminate people who are no longer able to vote

3. I think that a very important issue from Section 3 is the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This act applied to all elections held anywhere in this country. It made it so African Americans could vote no matter what. It eliminated poll taxes and literacy tests. It also gave the federal government more control to oversee the voting processes.
4. An important issue in Section 4 is the problem of nonvoters. In ancient Athens idiots were citizens who did not vote or take part in public life. Well many Americans don't vote. There are lower numbers in off-year elections. Many people who do not vote, can't. They are resident aliens who are not allowed to vote. There are so many people who just don't vote because they think their vote doesn't matter, but it actually does.

5. Voter apathy is the problem of many eligible voters that don't vote. Our country has the lowest rate of voter participation of any democracy in the world. Many people don't vote because they never have, and their parents never did. They are teaching their children that voting doesn't matter. But what if everyone thought this way, then no one would vote. I think that in school we need to teach kids from a young age how much their vote matters. Show them the consiquences of everyone not voting and what our country could turn into.
6. Every State has qualifications to vote. One is citizenship, aliens are denied the right to vote in the United States. The Constitution doesn't say that they can't vote, so any State could allow them to at any point. Another qualification is residence. In order to vote, you need to be a legal resident of the State in which you wish to vote in. The third qualification is age. The minimum age for voting can not be any mor than 18. Another qualification in all States except North Dakota is voting registration

Minor Parties

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prohibition_Party
http://www.prohibition.org/
The Prohibition party has been around since 1869. It is referred to as the oldest third party. A pro for this party are they are opposed to the consumption of alcohol which would make our country better but the con is that it is impractical.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_and_Freedom_Party
http://www.peaceandfreedom.org/home/
The Peace and Freedom party was founded in 1967. They support the protection of the environment. A pro to this party is that they have good beliefs. A con to this party is that they don't have a solid support group.

Political Parties

Throughout the history of the United States, there have been two main political parties. Starting with the Federalists and Anti-Federalists, the parties have developed over the years to the current system - Democrats and Republicans. Although the freedom to create new political parties exists, no other party has been able to gain the support they need to develop. These minor parties usually focus on specific issues and lack the following to win a national election. The majority of the voters believe their vote will count only when it is used to select a candidate from one of the two major parties. Many of the Founding Fathers had a negative view of political parties. Despite their objections, many of these men found themselves affiliated with a political party during their careers in government. As parties came into being, one would gain and hold prominence for many years. In our history, five major party eras have emerged. From 1796 to 1828 the first political parties were formed. During the time when our country was in its formative years, two opposing factions arose. Each was concerned with how the new government was to be organized. The Federalists believed in a strong central government and supported the ratification of the Constitution. Additionally, they supported industrialization, a national bank, and government aid to build roads and canals. The Anti-Federalists - who were eventually called the Democratic - Republican Party, held the opposite views. The Anti-Federalists strongly supported the rights of the states. They were opposed to a national bank and favored farming over manufacturing. They were firmly against the government helping to further industrialization by building roads and canals. The Federalists won their cause for the Constitution. However, efforts by the Democratic-Republican Party to influence people to the Anti-Federalist cause eventually weakened the Federalists. By 1824, the party was virtually non-existent.
I would be republican because i support their beliefs.