SRRHS Speech Madness

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Disco Tasks

ROUND I: Section II – Our Democracy From Within – Subpoint B – Direct vs. Representative Democracy

The laws regarding recall elections vary widely from state to state. While some states allow any holder of public office to be recalled for any reason, others have no recall provisions at all or have strict regulations on the process. You are members of the Uniform Law Commission meeting to discuss the pros and cons of recall campaigns, explore the various recall election regulations that already exist, and draft model legislation that states could enact to bring more clarity and uniformity to these laws. Your final proposal should make legislative recommendations and explain your reasoning.

ROUND II: Section II – Our Democracy From Within– Subpoint D – Status of the U.S. Constitution in the 21^st Century

In 1972, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) passed the Senate and was sent to the states for ratification. On January 15, 2020, Virginia became the 38th state to ratify the amendment, clearing the threshold for ratification. Despite this recent ratification, the ERA has long passed its congressional timeline for addition to the US Constitution. As a bipartisan panel of federal legislators you have been tasked with investigating the ERA. Is this amendment still needed? Have gender rights changed since 1972 to render it obsolete? Weigh the pros and cons of adopting the amendment before finally making a recommendation on whether it should be adopted.

ROUND III: Section II – Our Democracy From Within – Subpoint F – State and Role of Political Parties

In Minnesota, both major political parties have had challenges getting their respective endorsed gubernatorial candidates elected in the primary election. In 2010, DFL-endorsed candidate Margaret Anderson Kelliher was defeated by Mark Dayton in the primary, who went on to be elected Governor in the general election. In 2018, Tim Walz defeated DFL-endorsed candidate Erin Murphy; he went on to be elected Governor in the general election. In 2018, Republican-endorsed candidate Jeff Johnson faced a strong primary challenge from former Governor Tim Pawlenty and narrowly defeated him.

Some contend party-endorsed candidates are too liberal or too conservative compared to the broader party membership. Look at both political parties today and determine if their endorsing processes for governor should be changed. What can political parties do to make their party endorsement more valuable to their endorsed gubernatorial candidate?

FINAL ROUND: Section II – Our Democracy From Within – Subpoint H – Electoral College

You are staff members at a large public relations and adverting agency. Your newest client is a coalition of national groups that support abolishing the electoral college and replacing it with a popular vote. Your agency team is responsible for crafting a communications plan for the coalition. As your team begins building the communications plan, you will first identify what audiences the coalition will need to persuade to achieve its goal and then craft the key messages to use for each audience. Some key messages may appeal to multiple audiences.