{"id":169,"date":"2013-09-19T20:47:40","date_gmt":"2013-09-19T20:47:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/spc\/?page_id=169"},"modified":"2026-08-11T13:17:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T17:17:41","slug":"dan-ohanlon-essay-competition","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/spc\/dan-ohanlon-essay-competition\/","title":{"rendered":"Dan O’Hanlon Essay Competition"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"THE<\/p>\n

The 2026 Essay Question<\/h2>\n

In November 2026, United States citizens will vote to elect United States Senators and members of the House of Representatives. The people elected will be responsible for carrying out the duties of Congress as defined by the Constitution, including the powers to check the other two branches of government. Congress\u2019s decisions, actions, and inactions impact not only the United States of America \u2013 their impacts are felt around the world. Their decisions and actions impact your future as well. <\/p>\n

If you are a United States citizen who is at least 18, you have the power, through your vote, to influence how our representative government handles issues that are important to you. Marshall University believes that your right to vote is crucial; for this reason, over the last several years, it has worked hard to establish itself as a Voter Friendly Campus. Marshall\u2019s is the only campus in West Virginia that has earned this designation and is one of only 129 colleges or universities in the United States to have earned the \u201cHighly Established Action Plan Seal\u201d for this election cycle from the \u201cAll in Campus Democracy Challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s essay contest focuses on you and your future. It asks you to identify an issue that is important to you, to research and explain the various positions taken by politicians and others on how your issue should be handled, and to propose how this issue would ideally be addressed through lawmaking or otherwise. You must also discuss how our founding documents \u2013 the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution \u2013 relate to your issue. You should thoroughly describe why the issue is important, and your essay should reflect your research into prior attempts to address it, as well as offer possible solutions that could be implemented by Congress or otherwise.<\/p>\n

Conceptual Background<\/strong>
\nThe U.S. Constitution drafted in the summer of 1787 created a representative democracy, with a government that acts through its elected leaders. The Constitution defined checks and balances for the three branches of government and incorporated concepts of federalism to define the respective powers of state and federal governments. It established a judicial branch through which courts are to enforce the rule of law. The Constitution also provided that it could be amended to address issues that were unresolved at that time as well as issues that could arise in the future. It is notable that by 1791, the first ten amendments, commonly referred to as the Bill of Rights, were added to the Constitution. <\/p>\n

The Declaration of Independence, which is celebrating its 250th anniversary this year,
\nwas a statement in 1776 by those advocating rebellion against the British government in which they articulated the reasons they found it necessary to separate from British rule. Its proclamation that all people \u201care created equal\u201d and have the inalienable right to \u201cLife, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness\u201d (regardless of how its authors understood its meaning at the time) has been relied upon by those seeking political and civil rights, and the expansion of this concept is reflected in the 13th, 14th, 15th, 19th, 24th, and 26th Amendments to the Constitution. <\/p>\n

The expanded recognition of citizenship, human rights, and equal protection of the law has not been straightforward and has not been easy. Even a cursory review of United States history reveals that these expansions of rights have involved great sacrifice, suffering, bloodshed, and even a Civil War. But, over time, the country has endured, grown, and changed when the ideas for its betterment have been pursued and demanded by its citizens. To continue peaceful progress, even in the face of the polarization of our electorate, we, as citizens, must identify and discuss issues important to us and how they can and should be resolved by our government. We also must translate our views on these topics into effective voting for representatives who share or can be persuaded to pursue the goals important to us.<\/p>\n

Summary<\/strong>
\nYour issue must be a known issue that could be addressed by governmental action. <\/p>\n

Examples of issues that are often discussed in our political discourse include, but are not limited to:<\/p>\n