2013 United States Senate Youth Program

Directions: Please type your responses on a separate page. Label each page with your name and school name.

Section 1

Answer two of the following questions in 150 words or less for each question:

1. Describe at least two ways in which public participation in elections in the United States can be increased.
   
   
2. Do you think that California students should have to pass a test on civics and/or political knowledge to graduate from high school? Why or why not?
   
   
3. Briefly describe the justification for why United States Senators serve longer terms in office than United States Representatives.

Section 2

Respond to as many of the following situations that apply to you in 150 words or less for each response:

1. Describe a non-school political campaign or electoral activity in which you participated (i.e. phoning for candidates, voter registration, volunteering at polls, signature gathering, etc.). Discuss what you learned from it.
   
   
2. Describe what happened at a local government meeting (i.e. board of education, city council, county board of supervisors, etc.) that you attended. Discuss what you learned from it.
   
   
3. Discuss what you learned from writing a letter to the editor on a political or civic issue that was published in your school newspaper or in a local newspaper. Enclose a copy of it with this application package.

Section 3

Respond to one of the following seven prompts with a well-written and logically organized essay in 750 words or less. Address all parts of the prompt and include specific details and/or examples to support your response.

1. Discuss the “Arab Spring” which has forced numerous foreign rulers from power since 2010. What are its prospects for continued success in the future?
   
   
2. Has Congress failed to live up to its responsibilities as the first branch of government under the Constitution? How has the ideological polarization of the two major political parties contributed, if at all, to Congress’s difficulties? Be specific in discussing the success or failure of certain legislative initiatives.
   
   
3. Because senators are allocated by state and not by population, California’s delegation to the United States Senate, representing over 37 million people, has the same weight as the delegation from Wyoming, representing 563,000 people. What impact does the current system of representation in the Senate have upon state and national politics? Does the current imbalance in representation pose a significant problem, or is it a beneficial feature of our political system?
   
   
4. How do annual budget deficits by the federal government relate, if at all, to the U.S. public debt as a whole? Compare and contrast the two major parties’ approaches to addressing both.
   
   
5. Is a postsecondary education (i.e. trade school, community college, four-year universities, etc.) necessary for an informed public debate over issues of state and national government and/or to have a thriving economy? What role, if any, should the state and federal governments have in postsecondary education?
   
   
6. Discuss the impact of Independent Expenditure Committees, Super PACs, and large scale fundraising on governance. What are some of the benefits and drawbacks of the role of money in our democracy?
   
   
7. What do you believe the role of newscasters and the media in the democratic process should be? Are they the framers of national debates, opinion makers, or do they simply relay facts to the public? Your response can answer any of these questions or address the role of newscasters and the media in a way you see fit.