Electronic Democracy Project: The topic of voting  (advocacy analysis and argument)

The Internet provides a wealth of information and if we know how to evaluate what we find it can provide us with knowledge unimagined even 15 years ago. It also offers previously unimagined opportunity for advocacy as junk mail and issue-orientated web sites contest for space. As part of the move to persuade citizens under the age of 25 to vote, many new websites have been developed in the last few years. Some of these sites aim just to register and inform voters, but others also try to persuade voters to vote in a specific way.

This paper invites you to select a voter-advocacy website and consider the ways it tries to appeal to younger voters of a particular kind. You will analyze the audience the site seems to be aiming to reach, and make an argument about the effectiveness of the site as an advocacy site (a website designed to achieve a specific goal or advocate a specific position) for that specific audience focusing on whether or not you think the site will actually appeal to that audience. 

The paper

Select one of the advocacy sites below and imagine yourself a first-time voter who doesn't know much about the issules that are important in this upcoming election. How well might the site help you decide to vote?  The first step is to get your attention so you will explore the site and see what it has to offer. Then it has to deliver the information you want in a way that makes you pay attention. Finally, it has to make you want to register to vote (and tell you how to do it)--and it has to inspire you sufficintly that you wil go out and vote on Tuesday. 

Your thesis:

This website is an effective youth advocacy website because.../ this website is NOT an effective youth advocacy website because...

The Outline:

I- How well does the the site get your attention?

     i) design: Is the layout appealing? List the things you find appealing or not

     ii) layout: Can you find your way around the site? List specific examples of where the site is or is not easy to navigate

     iii) other features: music? arrangement? Anythingnot included n (i)

II- How effective is this site as a voter education site?

     i) Content: Does the site include enough information to get your interest? List examples

     ii) Ideology: Is this site biased? Is it fair? List examples of fair/unfair or biased/objective

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