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GENERAL ELECTION WEBSITE SCAVENGER HUNT

(A nonpartisan look at the election process and the issues)

SME - GEL 101

Fall 2008

Dr. Joanne Pedersen

DUE in class on 10-7 (No late papers accepted) (worth 75 points)

Please note that this assignment DOES NOT endorse a particular political

party/philosophy or agenda. Rather, this assignment is an opportunity for you to explore

the existing issues surrounding the upcoming CA General Election. In order to do that, you

will also need to review/learn some basic information about how California government

operates.

Follow the directions below and word process your answers to the following questions.Your paper should be organized and your answers should be written in complete

sentences/paragraphs. Your paper must be in your own words, but please feel free to work

in teams to find the answers to the following questions (Each person turns in their own

paper in their own words).

PART IGo to www.ca.gov

Click on Elections & Voter Info (under Living in CA)

Click on Publications & Resources (under Additional Election Information)

Click on California Legislative Information

Click on Legislative PublicationsClick on Californias Legislature

1) Explore this document Californias Legislature (note: there is a lot of blank space,

so be prepared to scroll). Describe the purpose of this document and what it covers?

(clue: look at preface and table of contents)

2) Explore Chapter III Elections: Describe the various types of elections in

California. What is an initiative and how does it become a proposition on a ballot?

(hint: begin reading under measures on the ballot)

PART II (Number your answers 1-10 and give complete sentences for each)Go to www.ca.gov

Under Government Links, you can use either the Agency Directory or More GovernmentLinks to locate the website for the California Secretary of State.

You will be able to answer most of the following questions by exploring various links from

the Secretary of States Home Page.

1) Who is the current Secretary of State for California? What are some important

facts about this person and when does this persons term expire?

http://www.ca.gov/http://www.ca.gov/http://www.ca.gov/http://www.ca.gov/

8/14/2019 General Election Website Scavenger Hunt (a Nonpartisan Look At

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2) What are the primary job responsibilities/duties of the CA Secretary of State? (hint:

look under About the Agency)

3) What is the top priority of the elections division?

4) On what date will the upcoming CA general election be held?5) Who may register to vote?

6) How do you register to vote?7) When is the last day a person can register to vote in the upcoming CA general

election?

8) What is Vote by Mail and how does the entire process work?

9) When does a person need to re-register to vote?

10) Where is your polling place?

PART IIIGo to www.ca.gov

Click on Elections & Voter Info

Click on Voter Information Guide (off to the upper/left of the screen) to explore the details

of each propositionClick on Ballot Measure Update to explore the current status of various propositions

Explore each proposition that has qualified for the 2008 General Election. For this section,

list each ballot number and, in at least 4 or 5 sentences for each proposition, describe each

proposition in your own words and your initial impressions of the proposition. If you are

working in teams, each of you needs to describe the propositions in your own words. Most

voters do this same homework each time they vote. You can then refer back to this

assignment when you vote.

PART IV

Rank order your interest in the propositions. Start with rank 1 being the proposition youare most interested in learning about. Then list the remaining propositions in order of

interest (do not us the same rank number twice). Refer to each proposition by its

Proposition ballot number and title.

PART IV EXTRA CREDIT 2 pts extra credit for each paragraph

Explore the political parties in CA (you must do a search for their official websites). For 2

points extra credit, write a paragraph on a political party and explore what they stand for

(make sure you provide the website url. Who are their candidates and what does the party

stand for? You will receive up to 2 points extra credit for each political party you write

about. For each political party, you must write a full paragraph.

PLEASE NOTE: Basic organization, spelling, sentence structure and paragraph structure

will be factored into your final grade for this assignment.

http://www.ca.gov/http://www.ca.gov/