There are some groups that remain restricted from voting in some or all parts of the U.S. (for example, legal aliens and people under 18). One group that has been in the news lately is ex-felons. Voting restrictions on ex-felons vary from state to state.

The purpose of the project is to provide students an opportunity to discuss a key political science concept and to show a basic understanding of academic research and reporting skills. The project consists of producing an positional essay of at least 750 words on one of the provided topics (see below), as well as a works cited page with at least three sources containing information used in the essay (note: there must be a parenthetical citation at the end of each sentence that contains information from a source). The assignment is to be formatted according to the Modern Language Association (MLA) style. Students should research this style in order to properly format the assignment (see the Purdue Online Writing Lab).

It is important to think critically about your chosen topic and clearly express your thoughts about it in writing. Where appropriate, make sure to include specific evidence and/or examples (along with appropriate citations).  When writing your analysis, consider the eight standards for critical thinking (Paul and Elder, 2013): clarity, accuracy, precision, relevance, depth, breadth, logic, and fairness.  Ask yourself questions, such as

How can I validate the accuracy of my statement?
How is this information relevant?
How does my conclusion address the complexities of the issue?
What is another interpretation or viewpoint of the issue?
Does my conclusion follow from the data and/or statements I have provided?
Students should use 12 point as the paper’s font size, double space the text, and create one inch margins on all four sides of the page. In addition, the writing assignment does not need to have a separate title page.