Chapter 8
Footnotes from The Forgotten Realm.
1
This contribution is based on a local civics club presentation by Colton Bennett.
2
Ballotpedia, s.v. “Election.”
3
Duxbury, Vermont, was the only place in the country that had an elected dogcatcher. Turns out, though, that Duxbury was in violation of the Vermont constitution, which does not allow for dogcatcher to be an elected position. So the position is now appointed. Scott Detrow, “‘You Couldn’t Get Elected Dogcatcher!’ No, Seriously,” April 7, 2018, in Weekend Edition Saturday, produced by NPR. (The topic of elected and appointed positions is addressed in chapter 3, “City Government,” as is the relationship between city and state.)
4
Online Etymology Dictionary, s.v. “suffrage (n.).”
5
Online Etymology Dictionary, s.v. “franchise (n).”
6
Online Etymology Dictionary, s.v. “ballot (n.).” See also Merriam-Webster, s.v. “History of ‘Ballot: Where Your Vote Comes From.’”
7
Ballotpedia, s.v. “States with initiative or referendum.”
8
Ballotpedia, s.v. “Initiative and referendum.”
9
To file for candidacy at the federal level, see the Federal Election Commission website.
10
Aaron Renn, “Conservatives Need to Learn How to Govern,” The Aaron Renn Show, streamed live on May 8, 2023, YouTube video, 26:04.
11
On the internet, search Federal Elections Commission campaign finance disclosure and filing declarations for information on laws regulating your ability to run for office.
12
Amendment 26.
13
Article 2, Section 1 discusses electors meeting in their respective states; Article 3, Section 4 guarantees every state a republican form of government; Amendment 10 gives powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution nor prohibited by it to the States, or to the people; Amendment 15, Section 1 guarantees the right to vote regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude; Amendment 19 guarantees the right to vote regardless of sex; Amendment 24 guarantees the right to vote regardless of whether a citizen’s taxes have been paid; Amendment 26, Section 1 guarantees the right to vote to persons eighteen years of age and older.
14
“U.S. Citizen Definition,” U.S. Immigration Glossary. See also “4 Ways to Become a U.S. Citizen,” Fileright Immigration (blog), FileRight.
15
The debate over whether noncitizens should vote has been going on for over two hundred years. One party wants everyone to vote in order to advance a progressive agenda. The other party wants only citizens to vote in order to maintain a conservative agenda.
16
Ballotpedia, s.v. “Voter identification laws by state.”
17
“The National Voter Registration Act Of 1993 (NVRA),” U.S. Department of Justice—Civil Rights Division, updated July 20, 2022.
18
Recall that members of the House of Representatives serve two-year terms, and senators serve six-year terms, with one-third of the Senate elected every two years. Hence, there must be a federal election every two years.
19
Although it sounds awkward, presidential election day is always described as taking place on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
20
Note that websites such as vote.org should redirect you to your state or local elections website.
21
Among the other names are precinct captain, precinct chairman, precinct committee officer, precinct committeeman, or precinct delegate.
22
For more information on the history of the party system, see “About Parties and Leadership: Historical Overview,” United States Senate.
23
“As early as the 1870s, politicians and newspapers began to refer to the Republican Party as both the ‘grand old party’ and the ‘gallant old party’ to emphasize its role in preserving the Union during the Civil War.” Christopher Klein, “Why Is the Republican Party Known as the GOP?” History, updated June 1, 2023.
24
Merriam-Webster, s.v. “liberal.”
25
Merriam-Webster, s.v. “conservative.”
26
The political terms left and right originated in the 1789 pre-revolutionary French National Assembly relative to the seating of delegates in relation to the king. Those seated in the center were moderates, holding the middle. Those on the king’s left were revolutionary commoners. Those to his right were the aristocratic traditionalists.
27
“Party Platform,” Democratic National Committee.
Party Platform. Book
28
“Our Platform,” Republican National Committee.
Our Platform Website
29
Eugene Burdick and Arthur J. Brodbeck, eds., American Voting Behavior, 109. This quote is from chapter 4, “‘Voting’ and the Equilibrium of the American Political System” by Talcott Parsons, which, in turn, is a critique of a 1952 study conducted by Bernard R. Berelson, Paul F. Lazarsfeld, and William N. McPhee entitled Voting (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1954). Thus this quote stems from interdisciplinary study that spans the 1950s.
30
The above quote also helps explain why conservatives do not typically teach their children civics beyond the U.S. Constitution and the Founding Fathers.
31
Ballotpedia, s.v. “Partisan election of judges.”
32
Adapted from Jacob Fabina and Zachary Scherer, “Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2020,” Current Population Survey Reports, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC, 2022.
33
United States Election Assistance Commission, “Poll Worker Resources for Voters,” Help America Vote, February 1, 2024. You may want to search online for the newest version of The Compendium of State Poll Worker Requirements by the United States Election Assistance Commission.
34
For an excellent set of reasons to vote, see Minnesota Family Council’s Biblical Basis for Voting infographic on the links page at CivilRealm.com.
35
latahdems.org.