Ivanna Gonzalez Group#1 blog#2 reflection “elections matter”

 Hi everyone In our recent class presentation on "Election Matters," we explored how voting, policies, and social issues affect the choices people make in elections. Our class was divided into four groups, each covering a different topic that plays a key role in shaping election results. Group #1 focused on the electorate and how elections work, Group #2 discussed immigration, Group #3 covered education, and Group #4 talked about gender equality. In this reflection, I will share my thoughts on how we prepared for the presentation, how it went, and the lessons I learned from the experience.

When preparing for our presentation at first I wasn’t really familiar  with the topic we where assigned but our professor made sure to sit with us and give us ideas on what we could speak about which really helped us, when we asked her questions she will answer them for us which really helped me a lot , when we had questions about the Electoral College, Zhang explained it to us, which made it easier for us to understand and explain its role in today's elections. As we worked together, we learned more and got a clearer idea of how to present the information. We shared what we found with each other, and this helped us connect the different parts of the topic.Although there where challenges on not knowing what we had to do from the start we made sure to work as a team which made the process easier for us and more confident to present 

Group #1, which I was a part of, focused on the history of the U.S. electoral process. I covered the period between 2000 and 2019, a pivotal time in election history. This period was crucial in highlighting some of the major problems and challenges within the voting system. For instance, the 2000 presidential election between George W. Bush, a Republican and the Governor of Texas, and Al Gore, a Democrat and Vice President under Bill Clinton, revealed significant flaws. The election was so close that a recount was needed in Florida, where issues like confusing ballot machines and voting irregularities made it difficult to accurately count votes. This led to a national conversation about the need for electoral reform to ensure fair and accessible voting for everyone, setting the stage for future efforts to improve the system.By highlighting these events, I aimed to show how the electoral process has evolved in response to changes . My partner Chris covered the history of elections from 1700 to 2000, focusing on the early development of the U.S. electoral system. Zhang discussed the role of the Electoral College and how it shapes the outcome of presidential elections, while Nayelis and David spoke about different voting systems used in other countries,such as Cuba, Venezuela, and China providing a global perspective on electoral processes they made sure to provide a lot of information on how everything works even things I did not know I learned. 

The day we presented on the steps most of us where nervous it was a bit intimidating speaking in front of a whole audience most of us where first timers.Even tho most of where first timers I honestly feel like we did great because we made sure the information we had was clear, and when it came to answering questions we where well prepared and answered them the best we could it felt rewarding seeing how everyone was so engaged in the topic it was a valuable learning experience, not just about the topic, but also about how to work together effectively as a team under pressure. 

The presentations from other groups were also very insightful. Group #2's discussion of immigration highlighted how immigration policies shape the demographics of voters, while Group #3 showed the link between voter education and turnout. Group #4 discussed gender equality and how underrepresentation in elections impacts outcomes. Before the presentations, I didn’t know much about these topics, but thanks to my classmates, I learned a lot and became more interested in the subject. Their talks helped me see how different social issues are connected to election results they made sure to go through each topic step by step explaining everything clearly ,they where really informed making me want to learn more about these issues. 

What I did notice about this second presentation was that I was less nervous than my first presentation. I feel like I was able to break everything down clearly,during my first presentation I noticed I would rush through my points because I was nervous but  this time It went differently I made sure to go on a slower pace making sure to pay attention to my body language making eye contact and making sure to not stutter. It really did help that we divided the work, and that  everyone in the group was so supportive. Knowing I wasn’t alone in this made me feel more confident because I had my group members there knowing  I could rely on my teammates to step in if I needed help or clarification during the presentation. 

In conclusion, I feel like this presentation went great overall and the team work was amazing everyone contributed and we supported each other every step. I learned a lot, both about the topic and about working effectively as part of a team. This experience showed me that working as a team is important and can really make a big difference. This presentation gave me a deeper understanding of how elections impact not just political outcomes, but also social issues like immigration, education, and gender equality. I feel more informed about the challenges people face in the electoral process and it made me even more motivated to get involved and vote, and be part of the conversation about the future of our democracy before I was not really into speaking about this topics going on but this are stuff that happen in the real world in todays society, and it is important to stay informed about this issues going on making sure to always be informed.