Amongst the activities of the visiting delegates included meeting various candidates in St. Mary's County who were  running for positions in the County government, observing electoral processes at the County level, predicting election results and visiting a polling firm and CNN studios. Based on their experience in the turbulent nature of Russian politics, there were "no real surprises" in the elections, according to the delegates.

For the students in Professor Grogan's class, another dimension was added to their accumulating context of the American political system. The understanding of American political parties and the electoral system that was discussed throughout the semester in class has three parts: the party in the electorate, the party as organization, and the party in government. For the students, a comparative light was shone on all three areas.

Party in the Electorate
The central topics of discussion between the Russian delegates and the class were the distinctions between the Russian and the American electoral and party system. There are over thirty political parties that are active in the Russian electoral process, compared to the generally two-party system of the United States. But there were similarities as well.

In Russia there is an umbrella classification that is similar to that of the United States. The umbrella classification consists of "rightist," "leftist," and "centrist" groupings. Also, a phenomenon exists within post-Cold War Russia that is historically similar to patterns in the United States. In the midst of the turbulent economy that is struggling to gain stability in their nation, Russian citizens will vote Communist when the economy is showing signs of recession or depression.

In the United States, Socialist patterns often develop in times of deep economic turmoil and uncertainty. Since the economic maturity that emerged after the Great Depression, however, the United States has not had any drastically turbulent downward swings. Also noted by the delegates was a phenomenon within the Russian electorate system known as "the Red Belt," which is a substantial portion of Central Russia that is controlled by the Communist Party and hard line conservatives.

Party as Organization
The central parties under the Russian system reveal both its multiparty character and the still greatly apparent influence of marginal politics. The Russia's Choice party, a party which supports liberal free-market policies; the Russian Communist Party; the Agrarian Party, which is a farmer's socialist party; the Liberal Democrats Party, which supports neo-fascism; the Russian Party of Unity and Accord; and the Women of Russia Party. The delegates revealed to the students of Professor Grogan's class that Russian party organizations are subject to regulations similar to those in the United States.

The most surprising distinction revealed by the delegates is that there is a forty-eight hour period of deliberation before the general elections. "For two days, it is illegal to mention candidates or to say anything with influence," delegate Sergey Zhabinskiy noted. Among the other comparative notes, the delegates noted that fundraising holds similar importance to Russian party organizations as American ones.

Party in Government
The Russian government is divided into 89 federal districts, represented by a governor, who is appointed, and a minister, who is elected. In the Federal Assembly in Moscow, there is a bicameral legislature consisting of the Federation Council, the higher house, and the Duma. The Federation Council is elected on a regional basis, and the Duma's 450 members are represented by party proportional to that party's percentage of votes received in the national elections. The delegates added that there is a minimum of 5% of the vote in the national election in order for the party to be represented in the Duma.