1.
Bicameralism
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A bicameral legislature is one in which the legislators are divided into two separate assemblies, chambers or houses. As of 2015, somewhat less than half of the national legislatures are bicameral. Often, the members of the two chambers are elected or selected using different methods, which vary from country to country and this can often lead to the two chambers having very different compositions of members. However, in many Westminster system parliaments, the house to which the executive is responsible can overrule the other house, some legislatures lie in between these two positions, with one house only able to overrule the other under certain circumstances. For example, one house would represent the aristocracy, and the other would represent the commoners as was the case in the Kingdom of England. Others, such as France under the Ancien Régime had a legislature known as the Estates General, which consisted of separate chambers for the clergymen, the nobility. The Founding Fathers of the United States also favoured a bicameral legislature, the idea was to have the Senate be wealthier and wiser. Benjamin Rush saw this though, and noted that, this type of dominion is almost always connected with opulence, the Senate was created to be a stabilising force, elected not by mass electors, but selected by the State legislators. Senators would be more knowledgeable and more sort of republican nobility—and a counter to what Madison saw as the fickleness. He noted further that the use of the Senate is to consist in its proceeding with more coolness, with system and with more wisdom. Madisons argument led the Framers to grant the Senate prerogatives in foreign policy, an area where steadiness, discretion, the Senate was chosen by state legislators, and senators had to possess a significant amount of property in order to be deemed worthy and sensible enough for the position. In fact, it was not until the year 1913 that the 17th Amendment was passed, as part of the Great Compromise, they invented a new rationale for bicameralism in which the Senate would have states represented equally, and the House would have them represented by population. Many nations with parliaments have to some degree emulated the British three-tier model, nevertheless, the older justification for second chambers—providing opportunities for second thoughts about legislation—has survived. An example of controversy regarding a second chamber has been the debate over the powers of the Canadian Senate or the election of the Senate of France. The relationship between the two chambers varies, in cases, they have equal power, while in others. The first tends to be the case in federal systems and those with presidential governments, the latter tends to be the case in unitary states with parliamentary systems. In the United States both houses of the U. S and this is due to their original location in the two-story building that was to house them. In Canada, the country as a whole is divided into a number of Senate Divisions, each with a different number of Senators, Senators in Canada are not elected by the people but are appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister
2.
South Dakota House of Representatives
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The South Dakota House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Dakota State Legislature. It is made up of 70 members, two from each legislative district, two of the states 35 legislative districts, Districts 26 and 28, are each subdivided into two single-member districts. This was done in order to prevent dilution of voting strength for the minority of Native Americans in these districts, so that they may elect candidates of their choice
3.
Republican Party (United States)
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The Republican Party, commonly referred to as the GOP, is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, the other being its historic rival, the Democratic Party. The party is named after republicanism, the dominant value during the American Revolution and it was founded by anti-slavery activists, modernists, ex-Whigs, and ex-Free Soilers in 1854. The Republicans dominated politics nationally and in the majority of northern States for most of the period between 1860 and 1932, there have been 19 Republican presidents, the most from any one party. The Republican Partys current ideology is American conservatism, which contrasts with the Democrats more progressive platform, further, its platform involves support for free market capitalism, free enterprise, fiscal conservatism, a strong national defense, deregulation, and restrictions on labor unions. In addition to advocating for economic policies, the Republican Party is socially conservative. As of 2017, the GOP is documented as being at its strongest position politically since 1928, in addition to holding the Presidency, the Republicans control the 115th United States Congress, having majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The party also holds a majority of governorships and state legislatures, the main cause was opposition to the Kansas–Nebraska Act, which repealed the Missouri Compromise by which slavery was kept out of Kansas. The Northern Republicans saw the expansion of slavery as a great evil, the first public meeting of the general anti-Nebraska movement where the name Republican was suggested for a new anti-slavery party was held on March 20,1854, in a schoolhouse in Ripon, Wisconsin. The name was chosen to pay homage to Thomas Jeffersons Republican Party. The first official party convention was held on July 6,1854, in Jackson and it oversaw the preserving of the union, the end of slavery, and the provision of equal rights to all men in the American Civil War and Reconstruction, 1861–1877. The Republicans initial base was in the Northeast and the upper Midwest, with the realignment of parties and voters in the Third Party System, the strong run of John C. Fremont in the 1856 United States presidential election demonstrated it dominated most northern states, early Republican ideology was reflected in the 1856 slogan free labor, free land, free men, which had been coined by Salmon P. Chase, a Senator from Ohio. Free labor referred to the Republican opposition to labor and belief in independent artisans. Free land referred to Republican opposition to the system whereby slaveowners could buy up all the good farm land. The Party strove to contain the expansion of slavery, which would cause the collapse of the slave power, Lincoln, representing the fast-growing western states, won the Republican nomination in 1860 and subsequently won the presidency. The party took on the mission of preserving the Union, and destroying slavery during the American Civil War, in the election of 1864, it united with War Democrats to nominate Lincoln on the National Union Party ticket. The partys success created factionalism within the party in the 1870s and those who felt that Reconstruction had been accomplished and was continued mostly to promote the large-scale corruption tolerated by President Ulysses S. Grant ran Horace Greeley for the presidency. The Stalwarts defended Grant and the system, the Half-Breeds led by Chester A. Arthur pushed for reform of the civil service in 1883
4.
Mark Mickelson
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George Mark Mickelson is an American politician and a Republican member of the South Dakota House of Representatives representing District 13 since January 11,2013. He is a member of the prominent Mickelson family of South Dakota, George Mark Mickelson was born to George Speaker Mickelson in 1965. His father was the 28th Governor of South Dakota and his grandfather, George Theodore Mickelson was the 18th Governor of South Dakota. Mickelson graduated from the University of South Dakota with a B. S. in accounting and he then went on to Harvard Law School to obtain his J. D. South Dakota Legislative Research Council Official page at the South Dakota Legislature Campaign site Profile at Project Vote Smart
5.
Democratic Party (United States)
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The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The Democrats dominant worldview was once socially conservative and fiscally classical liberalism, while, especially in the rural South, since Franklin D. Roosevelt and his New Deal coalition in the 1930s, the Democratic Party has also promoted a social-liberal platform, supporting social justice. Today, the House Democratic caucus is composed mostly of progressives and centrists, the partys philosophy of modern liberalism advocates social and economic equality, along with the welfare state. It seeks to provide government intervention and regulation in the economy, the party has united with smaller left-wing regional parties throughout the country, such as the Farmer–Labor Party in Minnesota and the Nonpartisan League in North Dakota. Well into the 20th century, the party had conservative pro-business, the New Deal Coalition of 1932–1964 attracted strong support from voters of recent European extraction—many of whom were Catholics based in the cities. After Franklin D. Roosevelts New Deal of the 1930s, the pro-business wing withered outside the South, after the racial turmoil of the 1960s, most southern whites and many northern Catholics moved into the Republican Party at the presidential level. The once-powerful labor union element became smaller and less supportive after the 1970s, white Evangelicals and Southerners became heavily Republican at the state and local level in the 1990s. However, African Americans became a major Democratic element after 1964, after 2000, Hispanic and Latino Americans, Asian Americans, the LGBT community, single women and professional women moved towards the party as well. The Northeast and the West Coast became Democratic strongholds by 1990 after the Republicans stopped appealing to socially liberal voters there, overall, the Democratic Party has retained a membership lead over its major rival the Republican Party. The most recent was the 44th president Barack Obama, who held the office from 2009 to 2017, in the 115th Congress, following the 2016 elections, Democrats are the opposition party, holding a minority of seats in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The party also holds a minority of governorships, and state legislatures, though they do control the mayoralty of cities such as New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and Washington, D. C. The Democratic Party traces its origins to the inspiration of the Democratic-Republican Party, founded by Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and that party also inspired the Whigs and modern Republicans. Organizationally, the modern Democratic Party truly arose in the 1830s, since the nomination of William Jennings Bryan in 1896, the party has generally positioned itself to the left of the Republican Party on economic issues. They have been liberal on civil rights issues since 1948. On foreign policy both parties changed position several times and that party, the Democratic-Republican Party, came to power in the election of 1800. After the War of 1812 the Federalists virtually disappeared and the national political party left was the Democratic-Republicans. The Democratic-Republican party still had its own factions, however. As Norton explains the transformation in 1828, Jacksonians believed the peoples will had finally prevailed, through a lavishly financed coalition of state parties, political leaders, and newspaper editors, a popular movement had elected the president
6.
South Dakota State Capitol
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The South Dakota State Capitol is the state capitol building of the U. S. state of South Dakota. Housing the South Dakota State Legislature, it is located in the capitol of Pierre at 500 East Capitol Avenue. The building houses the offices of most state officials, including the Governor of South Dakota, the building was constructed between 1905 and 1910. The designs for the building were executed by the Minneapolis architectural firm of Bell & Detweiler, the planning and construction cost was almost $1,000,000. In 1921 a large addition was built onto the rear elevation, to a design by architect Bells later firm. The floor in the building is made of terrazzo tile. Common lore says the floor was laid by 66 Italian artists, to give these artists a chance to place a mark in the building, each is said to have been given a blue stone to place in the floor. Only 55 of these tiles have been found, however and it is thought that the remaining stones may have been placed in locations now covered by walls, doors, or carpeting. From the first floor, a staircase leads upstairs. In front of the staircase, display cases house the First Lady Gown Collection, miniature replicas have been made of the gown worn by each first lady to the state inaugural ball. These replicas are worn by dolls in the display case, along with the doll, a picture of each governors family and other mementos are also displayed. On the second floor, the staircase leads into a rotunda. The dome of the rotunda is 96 feet high, the bottom ring is designed to resemble a string of ribbons joined together, which is meant to symbolize the eternal nature of government. The interior of the dome is decorated with sixteen images of the Tree of Life, the dome also displays acanthus leaves to represent wisdom and a pasque flower, which is the state flower. The third floor houses the states House of Representatives and the states Senate, the galleries for both, from which the public can observe the legislative process, are located on the fourth floor. Four memorials are on the grounds of the capitol building, the Fighting Stallions Memorial is a sculpture built to honor the eight South Dakota residents, including Governor George S. Mickelson, who died in an airplane crash on April 19,1993. The Flaming Fountain Memorial is a fountain with a burning natural gas flame. It was installed to honor South Dakotan veterans, the Law Enforcement Officer Memorial pays tribute to police officers who have died in the line of duty
7.
Pierre, South Dakota
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Pierre is the capital of the state of South Dakota and the county seat of Hughes County. The population was 13,646 at the 2010 census, making it the second state capital after Montpelier. Founded in 1880 on the east bank of the Missouri River opposite Fort Pierre, Pierre has been the capital since South Dakota gained statehood on November 2,1889. It was chosen for its location in the center of the state. Fort Pierre was named after Pierre Chouteau, Jr. a major American fur trader from St. Louis, Pierre is the principal city of the Pierre Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Hughes and Stanley counties. Pierre is located at 44°22′5″N 100°20′11″W, according to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.07 square miles, of which,13.06 square miles is land and 0.01 square miles is water. Pierre lies on rough river bluffs above the east bank of the Missouri River and it is a few miles away from Lake Oahe, one of the largest man-made lakes in the world. Developed for flood control and irrigation, the lake has become a popular fishing destination. The monthly daily average ranges from 19.9 °F in January to 75.4 °F. Snow primarily falls in light amounts, with the snowiest months being February and March, in addition, there are 20 nights per year with lows below 0 °F, and cold conditions are often intensified by the high winds of the Great Plains. Summers often see spikes in temperature, with 6.4 days of highs above 100 °F, the beginning of both May and October represent the last and first, respectively, freezing nights of the cooler season. Precipitation is much lighter in the winter months than it is in spring and summer. Extremes have ranged from −35 °F on February 9,1994 to 117 °F on July 15,2006, as of the census of 2010, there were 13,646 people,5,778 households, and 3,463 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,044.9 inhabitants per square mile, there were 6,159 housing units at an average density of 471.6 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 85. 1% White,0. 5% African American,10. 9% Native American,0. 6% Asian,0. 5% from other races, hispanic or Latino of any race were 1. 9% of the population. 35. 0% of all households were made up of individuals, the average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age in the city was 39.3 years. 22. 9% of residents were under the age of 18,7. 5% were between the ages of 18 and 24,26. 7% were from 25 to 44,28. 9% were from 45 to 64, and 13. 9% were 65 years of age or older
8.
Government of South Dakota
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The structure of the Government of South Dakota is based on that of the federal government, with three branches of government, executive, legislative, and judicial. The structure of the government is laid out in the Constitution of South Dakota. The constitution may be amended either by a majority vote of both houses of the legislature, or by voter initiative, the Governor of South Dakota heads the executive branch of the state government. The current governor is Dennis Daugaard, a Republican from Garretson, the governor serves for a four-year term, and may not serve more than two consecutive terms. The state legislature is made up of two bodies, the Senate, which has 35 members, and the House of Representatives, South Dakota is divided into 35 legislative districts, with voters electing two representatives and one senator per district. The legislature meets for a session which begins on the second Tuesday in January. It also meets if a session is called by the governor. The Republican Party currently holds majorities in both houses of the South Dakota Legislature, the judicial branch is made up of several levels. The state supreme court, with four justices and a justice, is the highest court in the state. Below the supreme court are the courts,41 circuit judges serve in seven judicial circuits in the state. Below the circuit courts are the courts, which deal with more minor criminal. South Dakota is represented at the level by Senator Mike Rounds, Senator John Thune. All the federal representatives are all Republicans, it was the first time since 1961, South Dakota is one of seven states with only one seat in the US House of Representatives. In US presidential elections, South Dakota receives three votes in the college, out of a total of 538. Like most states, South Dakotas electoral votes are granted in a winner-take-all system, native Americans governments are significantly independent of the state and its local governments. For example, federal law forbids states and local authorities to tax Indian lands, in 2004, George W. Bush won the states three electoral votes with 59. 9% of the vote. There are only five reliably Democratic counties in the state — most of them with primarily American Indian populations, Republicans have won the last seven gubernatorial elections and have controlled the legislature, with one brief interruption, for over thirty years. While President Bush received a vote percentage in 2004 than he did in 2000
9.
South Dakota
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South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, South Dakota is the 17th most expansive, but the 5th least populous and the 5th least densely populated of the 50 United States. Once the southern portion of the Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2,1889, Pierre is the state capital and Sioux Falls, with a population of about 171,000, is South Dakotas largest city. South Dakota is bordered by the states of North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, the state is bisected by the Missouri River, dividing South Dakota into two geographically and socially distinct halves, known to residents as East River and West River. Eastern South Dakota is home to most of the states population, West of the Missouri, ranching is the predominant agricultural activity, and the economy is more dependent on tourism and defense spending. Most of the Native American reservations are located in West River, the Black Hills, a group of low pine-covered mountains sacred to the Sioux, are located in the southwest part of the state. Mount Rushmore, a major tourist destination, is located there, South Dakota experiences a temperate continental climate, with four distinct seasons and precipitation ranging from moderate in the east to semi-arid in the west. The ecology of the state features species typical of a North American grassland biome, humans have inhabited the area for several millennia, with the Sioux becoming dominant by the early 19th century. In the late 19th century, European-American settlement intensified after a rush in the Black Hills. Encroaching miners and settlers triggered a number of Indian wars, ending with the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890, historically dominated by an agricultural economy and a rural lifestyle, South Dakota has recently sought to diversify its economy in areas to attract and retain residents. South Dakotas history and rural character still strongly influence the culture of the state, South Dakota is situated in the north-central United States, and is considered a part of the Midwest by the U. S. Census Bureau, it is also part of the Great Plains region. The culture, economy, and geography of western South Dakota have more in common with the West than the Midwest, South Dakota has a total area of 77,116 square miles, making the state the 17th largest in the Union. Black Elk Peak, formerly named Harney Peak, with an elevation of 7,242 ft, is the states highest point, while the shoreline of Big Stone Lake is the lowest, with an elevation of 966 ft. South Dakota is bordered to the north by North Dakota, to the south by Nebraska, to the east by Iowa and Minnesota, the geographical center of the U. S. is 17 miles west of Castle Rock in Butte County. The North American continental pole of inaccessibility is located between Allen and Kyle,1,024 mi from the nearest coastline, the Missouri River is the largest and longest river in the state. Other major South Dakota rivers include the Cheyenne, James, Big Sioux, Eastern South Dakota has many natural lakes, mostly created by periods of glaciation. Additionally, dams on the Missouri River create four large reservoirs, Lake Oahe, Lake Sharpe, Lake Francis Case, South Dakota can generally be divided into three regions, eastern South Dakota, western South Dakota, and the Black Hills. The Missouri River serves as a boundary in terms of geographic, social, at times the Black Hills are combined with the rest of western South Dakota, and people often refer to the resulting two regions divided by the Missouri River as West River and East River
10.
Governor of South Dakota
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The Governor of South Dakota is the head of the executive branch of the government of South Dakota. They are elected to a term on even years when there is no Presidential election. The current governor is Dennis Daugaard, a Republican elected in 2010, the governor is actively involved in the legislative process, he may introduce legislation, and has the power to veto bills passed by the legislature. The governor oversees the executive branch, and appoints the members of his cabinet, the governor also appoints the members of a wide array of state boards and commissions. The governor is the commander-in-chief of the South Dakota National Guard, the governor may grant pardons to those convicted of criminal offenses under state law. The governor fills vacancies that occur in the legislature, the state judiciary. The governor also fills vacancies in U. S. Senate seats from South Dakota, the governor is the titular head of his political party. From 1889 until 1974, the governor served a two-year term, until the 1940s, the governor was allowed to serve unlimited terms, since that time, governors have been limited to two consecutive terms. Beginning in 1974, the governor is elected to a four-year term, the governor is elected on a ticket with the Lieutenant Governor. The first governor of South Dakota was Arthur C, mellette, who was also the last governor of the Dakota Territory. Two of South Dakotas governors have left office before their term expired, in 1978, Richard F. Kneip resigned office six months before the expiration of his term to accept an appointment as United States Ambassador to Singapore. On April 19,1993, George S. Mickelson was killed in a crash near Dubuque, Iowa. Mickelson and his father, George T. Mickelson, are the only duo to serve as governor. South Dakotas longest-serving governor was Bill Janklow, Janklow was the first governor to complete two four-year terms, and he did it twice, serving from 1979 to 1987 and again from 1995 to 2003. Janklow is also the person to serve non-consecutive terms as governor. Several governors have gone on to serve in high offices. Crawford, Peter Norbeck, William H. McMaster, William J. Bulow, Bill Janklow served briefly in the United States House of Representatives following his second stint as governor. Of the 50 states, South Dakota currently holds the longest non-interrupted party control of the governorship, the Republican Party has controlled the South Dakota governorship since January 1,1979
11.
Voting methods in deliberative assemblies
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Deliberative assemblies – bodies that use parliamentary procedure to arrive at decisions – use several methods of voting on motions. The regular methods of voting in such bodies are a voice vote, a vote. Additional forms of voting include a vote and balloting. The assembly could decide on the method by adopting a motion on it. Legislatures may have their own voting methods, Roberts Rules of Order Newly Revised states that a voice vote is the usual method of voting on any motion that does not require more than a majority vote for its adoption. It is considered the simplest and quickest of voting methods used by deliberative assemblies, the chair will then estimate which side had more members. A simple rising vote is used principally in cases in which the chair believes a voice vote has taken with an inconclusive result. A rising vote is also the method of voting on motions requiring a two-thirds vote for adoption. It can also be used as the first method of voting when only a majority vote is required if the chair believes in advance that a vote will be inconclusive. The chair can also order the rising vote to be counted, a show of hands is an alternate to voice voting and can be used as the basic voting method in small boards or committees, and it is so used in other informal or small gatherings for voting. It is more precise than a vote but does not require members to leave their seats. However, it does not count as a division of the assembly, a recorded vote is a vote in which the votes of each member of the assembly are recorded. RONR explains, Taking a vote by roll call has the effect of placing on the record how each member, or sometimes each delegation, votes, therefore, it has exactly the opposite effect of a ballot vote. It is usually confined to representative bodies, where the proceeds are published and it should not be used in a mass meeting or in any assembly whose members are not responsible to a constituency. Recorded votes may either be taken by actually calling the roll or, in some assemblies, a signed ballot is sometimes used as a substitute for a roll call vote. It allows the members votes can be recorded in the minutes without the chair having to call the names of each member individually, a motion to use a signed ballot is one of the motions relating to methods of voting and the polls. Balloting is a form of voting in which the secrecy of the choices is desired. Members mark their choices on pieces of paper and deposit the paper into a ballot box and this procedure is typically the usual method in elections
12.
Electronic voting
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Electronic voting is voting using electronic means to either aid or take care of the chores of casting and counting votes. Electronic voting technology can include punched cards, optical scan voting systems and it can also involve transmission of ballots and votes via telephones, private computer networks, or the Internet. Many insecurities have been found in commercial voting machines, such as using a default administration password, cases have also been reported of machines making unpredictable, inconsistent errors. Electronic voting technology can speed the counting of ballots, reduce the cost of paying staff to count votes manually and can provide improved accessibility for disabled voters. However, there has been contention, especially in the United States, in addition, electronic voting has been criticised as unnecessary and expensive to introduce. Several countries have cancelled e-voting systems or decided against a large-scale rollout, notably the Netherlands, Electronic voting systems for electorates have been in use since the 1960s when punched card systems debuted. Their first widespread use was in the USA where 7 counties switched to this method for the 1964 presidential election, the newer optical scan voting systems allow a computer to count a voters mark on a ballot. DRE voting machines which collect and tabulate votes in a machine, are used by all voters in all elections in Brazil and India, and also on a large scale in Venezuela. They have been used on a scale in the Netherlands but have been decommissioned after public concerns. Sometimes called a document ballot voting system, paper-based voting systems originated as a system where votes are cast and counted by hand, with the advent of electronic tabulation came systems where paper cards or sheets could be marked by hand, but counted electronically. These systems included punched card voting, marksense and later digital pen voting systems, Systems including a ballot marking device can incorporate different forms of assistive technology. In 2004, Open Voting Consortium demonstrated the Dechert Design a General Public License open source paper ballot printing system with open source bar codes on each ballot, after the election it produces a tabulation of the voting data stored in a removable memory component and as a printed copy. The system may provide a means for transmitting individual ballots or vote totals to a central location for consolidating and reporting results from precincts at the central location. These systems use a precinct count method tabulates ballots at the polling place. They typically tabulate ballots as they are cast and print the results after the close of polling, in 1996, after tests conducted on more than 50 municipalities, the Brazilian Electoral Justice has launched their voting machine. Since 2000, all Brazilian voters are able to use the ballot boxes to choose their candidates. In 2010 presidential election, which had more than 135 million voters, the electronic ballot box is made up of two micro-terminals which are connected by a 5-meter cable. Externally, the micro-terminals have only a keyboard, which does not accept any command executed by the simultaneous pressure of more than one key
13.
Washington's Birthday
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It can occur on the 15th through the 21st of February inclusive. Colloquially, the day is now widely known as Presidents Day and is often an occasion to honor all persons who have served as president. The day is a holiday in most states, with official names including Washingtons Birthday, Presidents Day, Presidents Day. Depending upon the law, the state holiday might officially celebrate Washington alone, Washington and Abraham Lincoln. However, Presidents Day is not always a term and might refer to only a selection of presidents. Several states honor presidents with official state holidays that do not fall on the third Monday of February, in Massachusetts, the state officially celebrates Washingtons Birthday on the same day as the Federal holiday. In New Mexico, Presidents Day, at least as a state-government paid holiday, is observed on the Friday following Thanksgiving, George Washington was officially born on February 11,1731. Consequently, by the 1730s, the Julian calendar used by Britain, furthermore, the British civil year began on 25 March rather than 1 January, so that dates in February belonged to the preceding year. Since, during the 1700s, February 11 under the Julian calendar would fall as February 22 on the Gregorian, the federal holiday honoring Washington was originally implemented by an Act of Congress in 1879 for government offices in Washington and expanded in 1885 to include all federal offices. As the first federal holiday to honor an American president, the holiday was celebrated on Washingtons actual birthday, on January 1,1971, the federal holiday was shifted to the third Monday in February by the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. This date places it between February 15 and 21, which makes the name Washingtons Birthday in some sense a misnomer, since it never occurs on Washingtons actual birthday, the purpose was not to honor any particular President but to honor the office of the Presidency. It was first thought that March 4, the inauguration day. However, the bill recognizing the March 4 date was stalled in the Senate Judiciary Committee and that committee felt that, because of its proximity to Lincolns and Washingtons Birthdays, three holidays so close together would be unduly burdensome. During this time, however, the Governors of a majority of the states issued proclamations declaring March 4 to be Presidents Day in their respective jurisdictions. By the mid-1980s, with a push from advertisers, the term Presidents Day began its public appearance, in Washingtons adopted hometown of Alexandria, Virginia, celebrations are held throughout the month of February. Until the late 1980s, corporate businesses generally closed on this day, some public transit systems have also gone to regular schedules on the day. Many colleges and universities hold regular classes and operations on Presidents Day, consequently, some schools, which used to close for a single day for both Lincolns and Washingtons birthday, now often close for the entire week as a mid-winter recess. For example, the New York City school district began doing so in the 1990s, today, the February holiday has become well known for being a day in which many stores, especially car dealers, hold sales
14.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
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Martin Luther King Jr. Day is an American federal holiday marking the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. It is observed on the third Monday of January each year, the holiday is similar to holidays set under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. King was the spokesman for nonviolent activism in the Civil Rights Movement. The campaign for a holiday in Kings honor began soon after his assassination in 1968. President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, at first, some states resisted observing the holiday as such, giving it alternative names or combining it with other holidays. It was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2000, the idea of Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a holiday was promoted by labor unions in contract negotiations. Senator Edward Brooke introduced a bill in Congress to make Kings birthday a national holiday, the bill first came to a vote in the U. S. House of Representatives in 1979. However, it fell five short of the number needed for passage. Only two other figures have national holidays in the U. S. honoring them, George Washington, soon after, the King Center turned to support from the corporate community and the general public. The success of this strategy was cemented when musician Stevie Wonder released the single Happy Birthday to popularize the campaign in 1980 and hosted the Rally for Peace Press Conference in 1981. Six million signatures were collected for a petition to Congress to pass the law, senators Jesse Helms and John Porter East led opposition to the holiday and questioned whether King was important enough to receive such an honor. Helms criticized Kings opposition to the Vietnam War and accused him of espousing action-oriented Marxism, Helms led a filibuster against the bill and on October 3,1983, submitted a 300-page document to the Senate alleging that King had associations with communists. New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan declared the document a packet of filth, threw it on the Senate floor, President Ronald Reagan originally opposed the holiday, citing cost concerns. But on November 2,1983, Reagan signed a bill, proposed by Representative Katie Hall of Indiana, the bill had passed the House of Representatives by a count of 338 to 90, a veto-proof margin. The holiday was observed for the first time on January 20,1986, the bill also established the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday Commission to oversee observance of the holiday, and Coretta Scott King, in 2000, Utah became the last state to have a holiday named after King when Human Rights Day was officially changed to Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Later that year, Mecham proclaimed the third Sunday in January to be Martin Luther King Jr. /Civil Rights Day in Arizona, in 1990, Arizona voters were given the opportunity to vote on giving state employees a paid MLK holiday. That same year, the National Football League threatened to move Super Bowl XXVII, both measures failed to pass, with only 49% of voters approving Prop 302, the more popular of the two options, although some who voted no on 302 voted yes on Prop 301
15.
South Dakota Legislative Research Council
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The South Dakota Legislative Research Council is the governmental agency under the legislative branch of the government of South Dakota. The Legislative Research Council operates in the South Dakota State Capitol in Pierre and it legislative duties are year round, but its bill writing season begins the second Tuesday of January each year. The legislative session lasts 40 working days in odd-numbered years, and 35 days working days in even numbered years. Generally, the Legislative Research Council will work through every day until the session ends. The LRC was founded by political science professor William O. Farber
16.
Multi-member district
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An electoral district is a territorial subdivision for electing members to a legislative body. Generally, only voters who reside within the district are permitted to vote in an election held there, from a single district, a single member or multiple members might be chosen. Members might be chosen by a first-past-the-post system or a representative system. Members might be chosen through an election under universal suffrage. The names for electoral districts vary across countries and, occasionally, the term constituency is commonly used to refer to an electoral district, it can also refer to the body of eligible voters within the represented area. Similarly, in Australia and New Zealand, electoral districts are called electorates, the term Chûnāô-Kshetra is used while referring to an electoral district in general irrespective of the legislature. When referring to a particular constituency, it is simply referred to as Kshetra along with the name of the legislature. Electoral districts for municipal or other bodies are called wards. In Canada, districts are colloquially called ridings, in French, circonscription or comté, local electoral districts are sometimes called wards, a term which also designates administrative subdivisions of a municipality. In local government in the Republic of Ireland voting districts are called electoral areas, district magnitude is the number of representatives elected from a given district to the same legislative body. A single-member district has one representative, while a district has more than one. Under proportional representation systems, district magnitude is an important determinant of the makeup of the elected body, the geographic distribution of minorities also affects their representation - an unpopular nationwide minority can still secure a seat if they are concentrated in a particular district. District magnitude can vary within the same system during an election. In the Republic of Ireland, for instance, national elections to Dáil Éireann are held using a combination of 3,4, main articles, Apportionment and Redistricting Apportionment is the process of allocating a number of representatives to different regions, such as states or provinces. Apportionment changes are accompanied by redistricting, the redrawing of electoral district boundaries to accommodate the new number of representatives. This redrawing is necessary under single-member district systems, as each new representative requires their own district, multi-member systems, however, vary depending on other rules. Apportionment is generally done on the basis of population, the United States Senate, by contrast, is apportioned without regard to population, every state gets exactly two senators. Malapportionment occurs when voters are under- or over-represented due to variation in district population, given the complexity of this process, software is increasingly used to simplify the task, while better supporting reproducible and more justifiable results
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Native Americans in the United States
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In the United States, Native Americans are people descended from the Pre-Columbian indigenous population of the land within the countrys modern boundaries. These peoples were composed of distinct tribes, bands, and ethnic groups. Most Native American groups had historically preserved their histories by oral traditions and artwork, at the time of first contact, the indigenous cultures were quite different from those of the proto-industrial and mostly Christian immigrants. Some of the Northeastern and Southwestern cultures in particular were matrilineal, the majority of Indigenous American tribes maintained their hunting grounds and agricultural lands for use of the entire tribe. Europeans at that time had patriarchal cultures and had developed concepts of property rights with respect to land that were extremely different. Assimilation became a consistent policy through American administrations, during the 19th century, the ideology of manifest destiny became integral to the American nationalist movement. Expansion of European-American populations to the west after the American Revolution resulted in increasing pressure on Native American lands and this resulted in the ethnic cleansing of many tribes, with the brutal, forced marches coming to be known as The Trail of Tears. As American expansion reached into the West, settler and miner migrants came into increasing conflict with the Great Basin, Great Plains and these were complex nomadic cultures based on horse culture and seasonal bison hunting. Over time, the United States forced a series of treaties and land cessions by the tribes, in 1924, Native Americans who were not already U. S. citizens were granted citizenship by Congress. Contemporary Native Americans have a relationship with the United States because they may be members of nations, tribes. The terms used to refer to Native Americans have at times been controversial, by comparison, the indigenous peoples of Canada are generally known as First Nations. It is not definitively known how or when the Native Americans first settled the Americas and these early inhabitants, called Paleoamericans, soon diversified into many hundreds of culturally distinct nations and tribes. The archaeological periods used are the classifications of archaeological periods and cultures established in Gordon Willey and Philip Phillips 1958 book Method and they divided the archaeological record in the Americas into five phases, see Archaeology of the Americas. The Clovis culture, a hunting culture, is primarily identified by use of fluted spear points. Artifacts from this culture were first excavated in 1932 near Clovis, the Clovis culture ranged over much of North America and also appeared in South America. The culture is identified by the distinctive Clovis point, a flaked flint spear-point with a notched flute, dating of Clovis materials has been by association with animal bones and by the use of carbon dating methods. Recent reexaminations of Clovis materials using improved carbon-dating methods produced results of 11,050 and 10,800 radiocarbon years B. P, other tribes have stories that recount migrations across long tracts of land and a great river, believed to be the Mississippi River. Genetic and linguistic data connect the people of this continent with ancient northeast Asians
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United States Census
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The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years. The United States Census Bureau is responsible for the United States Census, the first census after the American Revolution was taken in 1790, under Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, there have been 22 federal censuses since that time. The current national census was held in 2010, the census is scheduled for 2020. For years between the censuses, the Census Bureau issues estimates made using surveys and statistical models, in particular. Title 13 of the United States Code governs how the Census is conducted, Information is confidential as per 13 U. S. C. The United States Census is a census, which is distinct from the U. S. Census of Agriculture. It is also distinct from local censuses conducted by some states or local jurisdictions, Decennial U. S. Census figures are based on actual counts of persons dwelling in U. S. residential structures. They include citizens, non-citizen legal residents, non-citizen long-term visitors, the Census Bureau bases its decision about whom to count on the concept of usual residence. Usual residence, a principle established by the Census Act of 1790, is defined as the place a person lives, the Census also uses hot deck imputation to assign data to housing units where occupation status is unknown. This practice has effects across many areas, but is seen by some as controversial, however, the practice was ruled constitutional by the U. S. Supreme Court in Utah v. Evans. Certain American citizens living overseas are specifically excluded from being counted in the even though they may vote. Only Americans living abroad who are Federal employees and their dependents living overseas with them are counted, private U. S. citizens living abroad who are not affiliated with the Federal government will not be included in the overseas counts. These overseas counts are used solely for reapportioning seats in the U. S, in the United States recent censuses, Census Day has been April 1. However, it was previously in August, as per instructions given to U. S. Marshals, All the questions refer to the day when the enumeration is to commence. Disadvantaged minorities are more likely to be undercounted. For example, the Census Bureau estimates that in 1970 over six percent of blacks went uncounted, democrats often argue that modern sampling techniques should be used so that more accurate and complete data can be inferred. Republicans often argue against such sampling techniques, stating the U. S, constitution requires an actual enumeration for apportionment of House seats, and that political appointees would be tempted to manipulate the sampling formulas. Although the sticker was unofficial and the results were not added to the census, she, in 2015 Laverne Cox called for transgender people to be counted in the census
