Day 6: The Electoral College & Campaign Finance

• Develop a basic understanding of the electoral college and campaign finance in the US

• Reflect on experience of volunteering thus far

• Gain insight and inspiration from guest speakers

1) Watch any guest speakers that you haven’t yet watched. Enjoy! And remember to write a reflection. :)

2) Develop questions for our guest speakers. Please read their bios and/or Google them, and develop 3 questions you’d like to ask. Write these in your journal and add ONE to a sticky note in the JamBoard (include your name).

3) Watch a short video: “Electoral College Explained” or “Why the Electoral College Exists” + "The Bad Map We See Every Presidential Election"

4) Start or continue volunteering for your campaign/organization(s)

• Aim for 3-5 hrs/week; log your hours in your journal.

• Reflect in your journal:

  • What have you observed about political organizing thus far?

  • What frustrates you?

  • What inspires you and/or gives you hope?

• Come prepared to discuss your thoughts and/or experiences.

PPT for this session are here.

JamBaords: Guest Speakers

Reflection (write in journal after or during session)

• Highlights, lowlights, and insights:

  • What’s been a highlight of your recent volunteer time? (Or of this program.)

  • What’s been a lowlight of your recent volunteer time? (Or of this program.)

  • What’s been an insight--something you’ve learned--from your recent volunteer time? (Or this program.)

• Guest Speaker Name: Date:

  • What are 1-3 things that you learned, or that struck you, from our time with the guest speaker today?

  • What follow up questions do you have for the guest speaker? Or, what questions arose from your time with the guest speaker?

0) Reflection

• Highlights, lowlights, and insights:

• • • What’s been a highlight of your recent volunteer time? (Or of this program.)

    • What’s been a lowlight of your recent volunteer time? (Or of this program.)

    • What’s been an insight--something you’ve learned--from your recent volunteer time? (Or this program.)

• Guest Speaker Name: Date:

  • What are 1-3 things that you learned, or that struck you, from our time with the guest speaker today?

  • What follow up questions do you have for the guest speaker? Or, what questions arose from your time with the guest speaker?

1) Framing & News Comparison

• Watch this 2008 George Lakoff video. (Still VERY relevant today.)

• Read two articles about a topic you’re interested in from TWO different news sources that approach things from different angles. (For example, find an article about something you’re interested in from The New York Times and an article about the same topic/event/issue from Fox News.)

• In your journal, answer the following questions:

  • What words jump out at you in each article? Why?

  • How do the articles differ in the way they describe the topic/issue/event?

  • How might the way the topic/issue/event is described influence how a reader understands it?

2) Develop questions for our guest speakers. Please read their bios and/or Google them, and develop 3 questions you’d like to ask. Write these in your journal and add ONE to a sticky note in the JamBoard (include your name).

3) Volunteer!

• Aim for 3-5 hrs/week; log your hours in your journal.

• Reflect in your journal: What are your observations? Highlights? Lowlights? Insights?

• Come prepared to discuss and share your experiences.