Digital Stories / Voting

Discuss the history of voting from a global, national and local context

 While the right to vote is widely recognized as a fundamental human right, this right is not fully enforced for millions of individuals around the world. Consistently disenfranchised groups include non-citizens, young people, minorities, those who commit crimes, the homeless, disabled persons, and many others who lack access to the vote for a variety of reasons including poverty, illiteracy, intimidation, or unfair election processes. An important force in combating disenfranchisement is the growth of organizations engaged in election monitoring. Around the world, governments struggle to meet the challenge of the Universal Declaration related to free and fair elections. Election monitoring groups, ranging from local or party monitors to United Nations teams, assist governments and local groups to hold free and fair elections by observing the process from the beginning (voter education, candidate campaigns, planning for the ballot) to the end vote count. By declaring an election ‘free and fair’ monitors can legitimize the outcome of that election. Conversely, by not doing so, legitimacy is withheld. The question of whether or not to grant legitimacy to election results is complicated by political considerations, as the results of declaring elections ‘not free nor fair’ can be serious. Riots and even civil war can break out. Retrieved from: (University of Minnesota Human Rights Center 2008)

Thanks to a movement led by differently-abled Americans and their supporters, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 was passed. It provided for ballot and poll access for those with disabilities. Enforcement of the Voting Rights Act and other laws continued. Retrieved from: (http://www.iwantmyvote.com/recount/history/)

Do you think a digital story like this one could substitute for a research paper? Why or Why not?

I believe a digital story can in fact substitute for a research paper. From watching the digital video I obtained a lot of important information as I would from reading a research paper. I was very interested while watching the video. If I was just reading a paper it would not be as interesting as watching the digital story. I believe if students had the opportunity to create a digital story compared to writing a research paper, they would have the opportunity to show their creativity. In a digital story you still have a lot of information and a great display of photos and important images that can not be displayed in a research paper. i learn the best visually, so I think substituting a digital story instead of writing a reach paper would be a good way to teach the students something else and to keep them interested. I think digital stories are interesting and beneficial.