1. Is the two party system of politics in America flawed? Held a mock-election in an elementary school to demonstrate the necessity of prior research. Andrew Salsgiver

2. Why I chose my topic: Deep interest in politics since I was young. Topic permeates into effects on daily life. Strong personal feelings toward being educated. Seen the effects of improper governance, both in media and life.

3. Research History of the parties:  Founding fathers opposed parties Politicians turning away from the people  Passing policies that benefit themselves  Afraid to work with “radical” candidates

4. Research Two party system has created a “duopoly” in politics.  Coalitions among individuals unnecessary due to easily formed majorities. Party beliefs are beginning to blend  Afraid to take a stance and lose votes  Gives even less of a choice to voters

5. Research No room for competition in current system  Third-parties are squashed before they gain enough momentum Ex: Green Party Problems created by system effect the nation.  Arguments over debt-ceiling

6. Research Extreme loss of support from the public  Republican and Democratic voter registration is at an all time low.  Independent registration rising to take their place. 29% in 2000 to 37% in 2011 If this trend continues, we could see the end of the current party system in the foreseeable future.

7. Obstacles I overcame: Prior inclinations to procrastination Poor time-management skills Lack of formal writing training. Finding non-biased sources of information

8. Successes Information flowed in a successful way Passed the paper on the first round! Discovering a talent and passion for writing

9. The Link Held a mock-election at West Clayton Elementary to simulate real world mindsets. Validates research while teaching a lesson.

10. My Product

11. Steps taken: Finding mentor Selecting candidates for the election and 'production crew' for set-up and documentation. Contacting West Clayton. Preparing speech/lesson plan. Gathering required materials. Meeting with West Clayton's media coordinator and teacher of the class. Finalizing plans with candidates and production crew. Holding the lesson and mock-election.

12. Obstacles Finding a mentor Writing the speech to the children. Deciding how I wanted to approach the lesson. Procrastination Getting in touch with who I needed to talk to at the Elementary School.

13. Successes Positive reception to speech and lesson. Finding a class to participate. The lesson itself.

14. What I learned about myself: Predisposition to procrastination and the need to fix it immediately. I could not teach kids below the high school level. However, I learned that I am decent at speaking in front of people, thus possibly creating a new job opportunity. I can not do everything on my own; probably the hardest lesson of all.

15. Implications for the future: Opened up possible job choice in teaching. While I might pursue a career in politics at a future time, I have other aspirations driving me currently. Learned that connections and networking is vastly important, good lesson to learn early.

16. Thank you for your time! Do you have any questions?