Annotated Bibliography

Daniels – Write a Research Question, Thesis, and Outline 1

Daniels

English Composition II

July 29, 2020

Research question: How does the availability of voting during a crucial time of a pandemic impact an election period ethically?

Working thesis statement: For ethical, democratic, and integrity purposes, policymakers should adopt a timely and secure voting system during the election period encompassed with the pandemic.

Detailed Outline

Working Thesis in Introduction: For ethical, democratic, and integrity purposes, policymakers should adopt a timely and secure voting system during the election period encompassed with the pandemic.

A. Electoral statistics on pandemics' implications on election

B. Electoral system integrity, the security of the election system

Source 1: Perera on government ethics during this time of pandemic

Source 2: Martin-Rozumilowicz and Kužel on how to maintain the integrity of elections during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Source 3: Ace on Electoral Integrity.

I. Ethical Issues

A. Pandemic's victims' cases rise

B. Electoral insecurity and voters coercion

Source 1: Miller on the ethics of campaigning during a pandemic, paragraphs 5 to 8

Source 2: Perera on how the COVID-19 pandemic may affect how we vote, paragraphs 6 to 9

II. Democratic Issues

A. Election postponement

B. Restrictive voting

Source 1: Cooper on to vote or postpone? Elections in Africa in the time of COVID-19

Source 2: Lopez on Texas voters caught in the middle of a battle over mail-in voting

III. Integrity issues

A. Voters' suppression and election fraud

Source 1: Kamarck, Ibreak, Powers, and Stewart on are American elections pandemic-proof? A state-by-state scorecard

Source 2: James on the new development: running elections during a pandemic

IV. Benefits of a Timely election

A. Promotes transparency, accountability, inclusivity, and equal opportunities to compete in an election.

B. Preserves the democracy of the citizens

Source: Sahley, USAID, on supporting free and fair elections

V. Achieving Election Security through Online voting

A. Block-chain enabled electronic voting

B. Mail and absentee voting

Source: Kshetri, Nir, and Voas on Blockchain-Enabled E-voting

VI. Counterargument

A. Absentee voting is significantly prone to increased fraud than on-voting

B. Mistrust of the election results and complexity of the system leaves the policymakers with no option than postponing the election

Source: Porup on online voting is impossible to secure. So why are some governments using it?

VII. Conclusion

A. Adopting an encrypted online voting system is better to safeguard ethics, democracy, and integrity aspects of an election and to achieve a secure election free from postponement risks.

Source: Yang, Yi, Nepal, Kelarev, and Han on a secure verifiable ranked-choice online voting system based on homomorphic encryption

Reflection Questions

1. Learning to conduct research is vital because it is a skill you will use both in academia and in your professional life. It improves critical thinking and empowers you to find information for yourself. Consider the process of researching as a whole. What was the most challenging aspect of the process for you? (2-3 sentences)

Time used for the research, acquiring the articles, and examining their credibility and reliability were the most challenging elements of this study. This assignment demands a couple of resources to complete; therefore, it consumed much of the time to find and choose the most appropriate and recent for the study. 

2. The working thesis statement is a proposed answer to your research question. It should clearly identify a debatable topic and take a position on one side of that topic. Analyze the effectiveness of your working thesis statement. (3-4 sentences)

           The working thesis for this assignment is precise, relevant, and direct to the point since it addresses the ongoing aspect of the society making is possible for debate. I have established the approaches and reasons to consider conducting the election instead of altogether avoiding it due to the pandemics. The thesis has determined why the plan is crucial and strategies to adopt to improve. 

3. A detailed outline is an effective tool for laying out the progression of an argument. It allows you to consider the arrangement and organization of your ideas, as well as choose places to incorporate outside source materials. Review your detailed outline and summarize the argument you've presented. (3-4 sentences)

           I began by establishing the ethical, democratic, and integrity concerns related to pandemics' impact on the election process. Afterward, I have presented the benefits of a timely and secure election to achieve democracy, morality, and integrity of an election. Additionally, I have also established counterargument elements to depict the aspects that still exist to threaten the research's concern even after adopting those measures. In the end, the outline sets it is better to conduct the election under limited risks than a full postponement. 

4. You will use the same topic on three of the remaining Touchstones in this course. What kind of feedback would be helpful for you? What are the specific questions you might have as you go deeper into the research process? (2-3 sentences)

           I believe in the information depicted on this assignment; however, I would want to earn more on the essay's structure and formatting to help arrange the content of the task. Additionally, the research question could be complicated for someone who has limited knowledge of the topic. Thus I would establish it deeper to elaborate on the safe, ethical, and democratic electoral process during pandemics.