Writing Topic Tuesday – Election Day Edition

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Here in the U.S. it is Election Day.  So many of us are going to the polls and exercising our right to vote.  It is considered to be an “off-year” because there are no major races for President, or members of Congress running this year, but there are a lot of local races and issues up for a vote.  And even though it is an off-year, the television is saturated with political ads (most of them negative), so it is hard to tell who is telling the truth and who you can trust. The approval ratings for the President are low, the ratings for Congress even lower, and there is a lot of dissatisfaction with local politicians as well. But that is the beauty of the process.  We can change things with a vote.  Many places around the globe do not have that freedom and many other places are experiencing this freedom for the first time.

So here are your Election Day related topics for Tuesday, November 8th, 2011:

• Write about the first time you voted.
• Have you ever run for office? For class president? Student Council? A local school board seat? Write about it.  Did you win? Lose? What was the campaign process like?
• What are the qualities of a good elected official (at any level of government)?
• What are your political views?  Be specific.  Which ones are the most important when choosing to vote for one candidate over another?
• Where did you get your political views? Are they consistent? Or ever-changing?
• I have to admit that I get a kick out of some over-the-top, mudslinging political ads.  I’ve always believed that I could really write one that was unbelievably bad,  but yet, hilarious.  Write an outlandish script for attacking an opponent or the “other side” of an issue. Have fun with it.
• Since politicians are typically reviled, why do you think anyone would choose to run for office?
• What do you see as ways that the existing political system in your area or country might be improved?
• What do you see as the role of government in your life now?  What do you think it should be in an ideal world?
• Are you suspicious of government or think that it is necessary, and perhaps even beneficial , to the average person?
• Why do many people not want to discuss politics?
• If you could be the leader of your country, what would you do? How would you prioritize resources to make it happen?