[ATTW-L] Professional Communication and Voting

[Dragga, Sam]

Students might also be encouraged to examine voting materials by a newly published research report titled “U.S. State Policy Contexts and Mortality of Working-Age Adults” that details the life-and-death implications of their voting decisions (https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0275466). Here’s a portion of the abstract:

We modeled the associations between working-age mortality rates and state policies during 1999 to 2019. . . . More conservative marijuana policies and more liberal policies on the environment, gun safety, labor, economic taxes, and tobacco taxes in a state were associated with lower mortality in that state. . . . Simulations indicate that changing all policy domains in all states to a fully liberal orientation might have saved 171,030 lives in 2019, while changing them to a fully conservative orientation might have cost 217,635 lives.

The report offers opportunity for lively class discussion of research methods, statistical images, and provocative findings and conclusions as well as rhetoric (e.g., the words ethics and morality are avoided altogether).

Sam

Sam Dragga
Professor Emeritus
Texas Tech University
sam.dragga at ttu.edu
1-806-543-6099


From: ATTW-L <attw-l-bounces at attw.org> on behalf of Rob Rowan <rmrowan at xmission.com>
Date: Wednesday, October 26, 2022 at 6:58 AM
To: "attw-l at attw.org" <attw-l at attw.org>
Subject: [ATTW-L] Professional Communication and Voting

This email originated outside TTU. Please exercise caution<https://askit.ttu.edu/phishing>!

Early voting has started in many states. Remind your eligible students to go vote.

Voter information sites like BallotPedia (https://ballotpedia.org/Main_Page<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fballotpedia.org%2FMain_Page&data=05%7C01%7Csam.dragga%40ttu.edu%7C208a4b91e4f24f0e342408dab75a717c%7C178a51bf8b2049ffb65556245d5c173c%7C0%7C1%7C638023896434307524%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C2000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=VQlftA2xV7FtOmncZyLlZO3vhzMaqDdd7%2F78ddXmDIQ%3D&reserved=0>) and county Board of Elections websites present a good opportunity to analyze public-facing professional communication on a topic of great civic importance.
As an example, here's the Cuyahoga County, Ohio BoE site: https://boe.cuyahogacounty.gov/<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fboe.cuyahogacounty.gov%2F&data=05%7C01%7Csam.dragga%40ttu.edu%7C208a4b91e4f24f0e342408dab75a717c%7C178a51bf8b2049ffb65556245d5c173c%7C0%7C1%7C638023896434307524%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C2000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=2qHR8mIsUk0u9crSg%2F3TqJaaSSqntpb6f2L7m6rcV3c%3D&reserved=0>

For the lucky few who live in Ulster County, NY, voters may be able to pick up this wonderful sticker designed by contest winner Hudson Rowan (no relation):
[cid:image001.jpg at 01D8EA20.BDE69D10]

https://elections.ulstercountyny.gov/i-voted-sticker-contest/<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Felections.ulstercountyny.gov%2Fi-voted-sticker-contest%2F&data=05%7C01%7Csam.dragga%40ttu.edu%7C208a4b91e4f24f0e342408dab75a717c%7C178a51bf8b2049ffb65556245d5c173c%7C0%7C1%7C638023896434307524%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C2000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=QIyyHwKYad6%2FYrScuRHcg%2Boho2w5Nz6AQF4DUWy%2BPeM%3D&reserved=0>

This contest entry absolutely demolished the competition--there's probably an interesting visual rhetoric discussion to be had here too.

Regards,
Rob Rowan

Robert M. Rowan, PhD
Lecturer, Department of English
Case Western Reserve University
rmrowan at xmission.com<mailto:rmrowan at xmission.com> or rmr122 at case.edu<mailto:rmr122 at case.edu>
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