NIE Home  Sponsors  E FAQs  Order Form  Contact Us 

Common Core State Standard
SL.CCS.1/2/3/4 Grades 6-12: An essay of a current news event is provided for discussion to encourage participation, but also inspire the use of evidence to support logical claims using the main ideas of the article. Students must analyze background information provided about a current event within the news, draw out the main ideas and key details, and review different opinions on the issue. Then, students should present their own claims using facts and analysis for support.

FOR THE WEEK OF MAR. 08, 2021

Proposed election law changes spur political showdowns in Washington and state capitals

frontpageactionpoints.gif
1.gif
Share a quote from coverage of this issue. Why do you agree or disagree with the viewpoint?
2.gif
List two facts from any article about national, state or local politics.
3.gif
Look for reporting on a foreign protest or political issue. Do citizens there have similar or different rights than here?

Four months after the presidential election, ballot access and voting safeguards still are pressing topics in Congress and state legislatures. The U.S. House last week voted 220-210 to pass a sweeping government and elections reform bill. It allows early voting, mail voting, registration on Election Day, increases election security and restores 1965 Voting Rights Act protections that a Supreme Court decision changed in 2013. The "2020 election underscored the need for comprehensive, structural democracy reform," says Sen. John Sarbanes, D-Md., a sponsor of legislation known as the For the People Act. President Biden supports the bill, which now goes to the Senate.

Republican critics say the legislation limits political speech and is a federal power grab by Democrats trying to gain an advantage in elections. For their part, Republican legislators in 43 states have introduced 253 bills to restrict voting. They want to limit early voting and mail ballots, set stricter voter ID rules, restrict citizen-led ballot initiatives and ban private donations that help administer elections. "Many of our citizens have expressed a lack of faith and integrity in our current election systems," says a recent statement from the Georgia Senate Republican caucus.

Democrats describe their rivals' state-level moves as attempts at "voter suppression" and a backlash to historic turnout levels last November, when an unprecedented number of voters cast ballots by mail. "Republicans are doing this because they think they can gain an electoral advantage from making it harder for Black, brown and young voters to participate in the process," says Marc Elias, a prominent Democratic attorney in Washington, D.C., and founder of a voting rights group called Democracy Docket. In the U.S. House, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said before last week's passage: "Republican state legislators, concerned about their losses -- either in their own states or in the country -- are again upping their efforts to make it more difficult for people to vote."

President says: "The right to vote is sacred and fundamental — it is the right from which all of our other rights as Americans spring. This landmark legislation is urgently needed to protect that right." – March 4 statement

Republican says: "What we saw this past election was confusion and chaos caused by inconsistent standards and last-minute changes to established election laws by state officials and activist judges. It's now more clear than ever that there is a serious need for major reforms." – U.S. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida

Columnist says:"Lawmakers should be looking for ways to make voting more accessible, not less. Candidates should win votes on the basis of their ideas, not on their party's ability to manipulate the process." -- Adam Van Brimmer, Savannah Morning News editorial page editor

Front Page Talking Points is written by Alan Stamm for NIEonline.com, Copyright 2024

Front Page Talking Points Archive

Tricky balance: Supreme Court tries to keep law and politics separate this election year

Here's why SAT and ACT exams are back on more students' college paths

Congress moves toward TikTok forced sale or ban for national security reasons

Swift and sleek: Amtrak is closer to saying 'all aboard' for a new era of high-speed rail travel

New era in space: Flying to the moon is a business for private companies now

Presidential campaign remark about NATO fuels discussion of military alliance's role

Museums across U.S. scramble to make amends for collecting that sometimes was looting

Script handwriting isn't gone -- more states now require school penmanship lessons

Teen use of nicotine patches – also known as Zyns, lip cushions or gum pillows – spurs warnings

Airline safety draws new attention after midair cabin hole scare for passengers

Complete archive

Step onto any school campus and you'll feel its energy. Each school is turbocharged with the power of young minds, bodies, hearts and spirits.

Here on the Western Slope, young citizens are honing and testing their skills to take on a rapidly changing world. Largely thanks to technology, they are in the midst of the most profound seismic shift the world has ever seen.

Perhaps no time in our history has it been more important to know what our youth are thinking, feeling and expressing.

The Sentinel is proud to spotlight some of their endeavors. Read on to see how some thoroughly modern students are helping learners of all ages connect with notable figures of the past.

Click here to read more




Online ordering

Now you can register online to start getting replica e-editions in your classroom.

Fill out the order form


Sponsors needed

Even small donations make a big difference in a child's education.

If you are interested in becoming a Partner In Education, please call 970-256-4299 or e-mail nie@GJSentinel.com