Q Writing Assignment Instructions
There are two components of this assignment. For the Essay component, you will make an argument, providing citations backing up your assertions. For the Survey Report component, you will be asking others what they think about the topic, and interpreting the results of your survey. You must complete both parts of the assignment.
Once you have completed the assignment, submit it on BlackBoard Learn in the appropriate place under the Assignments link (it will be submitted via SafeAssign) as a single document. The Essay Component and Part V of the Survey Report component (i.e., the survey report itself) should come first, followed by Part III and Part II of the Survey Report.
Note: it is your responsibility to submit the assignment in an accepted format(.doc, .docx, .ppt, .pptx, .odt, .txt, .rtf, .pdf, and .html). You are able to preview your submission—if you are not able to see the document in the preview, then your grader cannot access it, and the assignment will not be accepted. If you see that your submission is not formatted properly, it is your responsibilityto submit a revised assignment before the due date.
- Essay Component
The Texas legislature recently passed a law requiring a state-issued photo ID in order to vote. This raises a number of questions regarding how much power states have in the regulation of elections, especially considering broader federal standards such as the Voting Rights Act and relevant constitutional provisions. In a 3-4 page paper discuss the following: What limits do the U.S. Constitution and federal laws place on the state’s power to establish voter qualifications? Is the new Texas voter ID law consistent with these federal standards? How do you think this new law will affect voter turnout in Texas? In your discussion of this question, be sure to include recent Texas voter turnout data. Considering your answers to the previous questions, do you think that requiring a photo ID to vote is a good policy?
Essays are required to meet the following format requirements:
- Font size should be 12 point font
- Font style should be Times New Roman
- The essay must be double spaced
- The essay should have 1” margins all around
- You must have a works cited page
See the Grading Rubric at the end of this document for more information on how the essay will be assessed.
Grading Rubric
- Essay addresses all components of the prompt (10 Points)
- 10 Points: All components are addressed
- 5 Points: One component is not addressed
- 0 Points: More than one component is not addressed
- Essay is coherent, well-reasoned, and well-organized (12 Points)
- 12 Points: Exemplary
- 8 Points: Good
- 4 Points: Below Average
- 0 Points: Poor
- Essay provides citations (including a minimum of two outside sources) to support arguments and uses proper citation (APSA or APA formatting) (8 Points)
- 8 Points: Meets all requirements
- 4 Points: One component is incomplete or missing
- 0 Points: Two or more components are incomplete or missing
- Essay and Survey Report are written with proper grammar, style, organization, and formatting (10 Points)
- 10 Points: Meets all requirements
- 6 Points: 1-2 errors
- 2 Points: 3-4 errors
- 0 Points: 5 or more errors
