Legislative Preview & How a bill becomes a law

Legislative Preview & How a bill becomes a law.

Below are the links we are going to cover in class:

http://legis.state.sd.us/General/guide.htm#Legislators


http://legis.state.sd.us/index.aspx


http://www.sdpb.org/


Take ten minutes to look over the links and then in your blog, describe what your views are on the materials that we covered.  Provide a paragraph of reflection on what areas you had prior knowledge of and those that you did not.

Before viewing these links there was a lot i didn't know, i thought that when they passed a bill that they would either let it pass or "kill it" as the term for vetoing it is. I found out that it has to go through the House of Repesentatives and the Senate, and it has to get the majority vote, but the Governor does have the final say. It is a very long process for a bill to become a law, and it does take time, but in emergency situations they can hurry the process, otherwise bills dont become laws till July 1. 

How a bill becomes a law:
This is provided for you as a study guide to be able to learn the process of how a bill becomes a law.

http://svseniorgov.wikispaces.com/How+a+bill+becomes+a+law

Quiz Chapter 7

1. Explain the difference between hard and soft money:Soft money is given to a party such as Democratic or Republican and there aren't limits on soft money they are donations. Hard money is fundraised and has a limit.
2. What is the electoral process and is this something that you agree or disagree with and why?
The electoral process is that we nominate candidates then have a primary election.  The candidates that win move onto the real election.  I agree with it because it is a process that we need to make sure we get someone that is right for our country.

3. What is the difference between a closed and open primary?
A closed primary is a primary election where only people of the party that is being voted on can vote.  An open primary is a primary election where anyone can vote on either party.

4. Explain what absentee voting is and what the positives and negative may be with regards to it:
Absentee voting is voting before the election and it is a ballot that is mailed in.  Most people use absentee voting if they cant be there on election day due to illness or if they are out of the country, but over the years more and more people are using this. Postive side to it is that people are actually voting instead of just not. Negative side to it is that people could tamper with it.

5. What changes to your see in the way we run elections ten years from now?I think that 10 years from now everything will be done electronicly. Maybe even having an option of online voting so people dont even need to leave there houses.
6. Explain your views on money and elections with regards the amount of money that is spent:
I think that money is important to an election because without advertisements people wouldn't have a good way of knowing who their voting for. I think there should be a limit on how much money a candidate is allowed to spend.

7. Go to cnn.com or foxnews.com and find an article dealing with the election process.  Post the article in your blog and provide your viewpoints pertaining to the article.

LANSING, Mich. —

A recount has upheld Republican Kurt Damrow's narrow victory over Democratic state Rep. Terry Brown of Pigeon in last month's election.

Election officials say Thursday that Brown fell 18 votes short of Damrow in the recount for the 84th state House district covering Huron and Tuscola counties. Election officials said some precincts could not be recounted mainly because of problems related to sealing containers holding ballots.

Brown said the recount will provide opportunities to improve the election process related to how ballots are handled.

Official election results certified earlier this month had Damrow winning by 30 votes before the recount. More than 30,000 votes were cast in the race.

Brown was among the Democratic incumbents swept out of office by a strong Republican showing in the 2010 election

This goes to show that the election process is not exact. They do make some mistakes to cuz not everything can be perfect, as this has showed.