AP Government and Politics
2010 Illinois Primary Election Project
During the next month, political parties in Illinois will be choosing candidates for Federal
and State offices. As a government class, it is only appropriate that we take advantage of
this opportunity and apply what we’ve learned about the Constitution and the electoral
process to the events that are going on in the “real world.”
You are to submit a research paper about the candidate and campaign of your choice,
which addresses the questions listed below. This paper is due __________________ and
should be typed, double-spaced, and free of grammatical errors.
Election Day is February 2nd. Your paper will be due following Election
Day, but should be worked on throughout the campaign.
You may choose from the following campaigns:
US Senate
US House of Representatives: 8th District, 10th District
IL Governor
IL Attorney General, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Comptroller
IL General Assembly: State Senate, State House of Representatives
Other campaigns may be chosen pending teacher approval.
Paper Requirements: (Your research should focus on either the Republican or
Democratic candidates.)
I
Provide a brief overview of each of the candidates. Include family background,
work experience, education, etc. You should also provide the candidates’ political
experience, including offices held, accomplishments, length of terms, etc. This
must be in your own words.
II
Find one ad from each of the candidates. This can be a print ad or an electronic
ad. If it is an electronic ad, include a brief summary of the content of the ad. If it s
a print ad, include the ad itself. What technique is used to get the people’s
attention? (Propaganda notes will be given by your teacher) What facts will most
appeal to the voters? Who is the ad appealing to? Which ad is more effective and
why?
III
Visit www.opensecrets.org. Who has contributed money to the candidates?
(Individuals and Groups) What reason would they have for contributing money?
What affect will this have on the candidates’ position on the issues? (For state
elections, you will have to use http://www.elections.state.il.us/)
IV
Find at least one interest group that is endorsing each candidate. What reasons
have they given for endorsing that candidate?
V
Choose three issues you believe to be important to the campaign. Where do the
candidates agree? Disagree? Which candidate will best appeal to the voters on
each issue? Explain. Minimum 1 paragraph per issue, per candidate.
VI
Find five newspaper articles on the campaign. Provide a brief summary and your
opinion of each. The articles should be from different weeks. You should provide
the date and publication for each. You must have one of each of the following
types of articles:
a)
b)
c)
d)
National or State News Article
Editorial
Op-Ed Column or Letter to the Editor
Political Cartoon (this can just be about the parties themselves or the
election in general)
e) Election results
One article or cartoon needs to be from each of the following weeks:
Week 1: January 11-15
Week 2: January 18-22
Week 3: January 25-29
Week 4: February 1-2
Week 5: February 3-8 (post election article)
VII
You are required to spend at least 4 hours outside of class following the campaign
in person. This can include any of the following:
Volunteer at party headquarters (GOP, 320 Peterson Rd. Libertyville, IL,
Dem, 709 North Avenue, Waukegan, IL)
Volunteer at the candidates’ headquarters
Attend a debate between the candidates
Attend a campaign rally
Attend a meet and greet session for the candidate(s)
Other (see teacher for approval)
You need to provide proof you participated, either a signature of an official, or a
piece of literature.
You should write a summary of the experience, including what you learned and
how the experience affected your views on the candidates and the campaign
process in American politics.
VIII
Find two different polls taken within two weeks of the election. What are the
results? What is the source of the poll? What is the margin of error? How do you
account for the differences in the result?
OR
Conduct your own poll of at least 25 individuals. The poll should include a
minimum of 4 questions, and be given to a wide-range of people. Chart your
results in a graph. Include a brief analysis of the poll with your opinions of the
results.
IX
Who did you support in the election and why? Who do you predict will win
and why? Your predictions should be specific with percentages of the vote each
candidate will receive.
IX
Conclusion: To be completed after the election. (1 page minimum)
What were the results? What issues seemed to be most important? How did these
issues affect the voters? What did the experts say worked and failed for the
candidates? How did the final results compare with your prediction? Include one
article (summary and opinion) written after the election.
Remember, you get extra credit if you either vote in the election (if you are 18)
or are responsible for getting someone to vote. (Proof required)