Teachers can find ideas for teaching how elections operate by holding a mock election in their classroom with these plans.

The Election Process

It’s election year. Do your students know how to campaign for a candidate? If you think they need help in understanding election basics, try this classroom project.

Allow the students to hold an election of their own for an office to be filled in their classroom. The job could be Classroom Supervisor, Homework Administrator, Class News Reporter, Print and Copy Supervisor or some other new position of leadership in the classroom.

Registration of the Candidates

The students who want to run for office should apply by writing their names on a list. If the class wishes, they can limit candidates by making certain requirements to running for the office. For example: candidates must be over ten-years-old, must be a state citizen, must be left-handed, must live in an apartment, must own a pet. The qualifications the students choose should not be too exclusive thereby ruling out too many candidates. Choose a couple of qualifying factors that apply to the office.

Look up the qualifying rules for someone running for U.S. President. Discuss these rules. Who made them and why? Should they be changed? Why and how does someone register to become a candidate?

The students must choose two or three parties and each candidate must register under one of the parties. Study how parties help identify and elect the official in a real election.

Issue Raising and Speech Making

Students should discuss the purpose of the position to be elected and then brainstorm what the issues involved are. Discuss some of the issues in the current election? Why are these important?

Allow the students to make speeches saying why they are the right choice for the office. Students should stand in front of the class to give their timed speeches. Speeches should be based on the issues of the campaign. (How he stands on the issues is a candidate’s platform. Use a raised "platform" for the students to stand on when speaking. This will serve as a visual.) The voters can cheer for the speakers and immediately following the speechmaking, decide which speeches were the best and why.

The students might choose to hold a debate and the candidates debate the issues. Look up simple debate rules and study them. Ask students who have watched televised debates of candidates for presidential office to tell what they observed. How can debates make an election better?

Running a Poll

The students may devise a poll to see who the main population favors. Ask the voters who they like and why they like them. What issues are important to them? Ask how they plan to vote? Ask the students to rate the candidates. Use a list of at least three and possibly five questions. How are polls used to predict the outcome of a political race?

Campaigning

After choosing the candidates, the students will each be assigned a candidate to campaign for. After choosing the candidates, the students will each be assigned a candidate to campaign for.

• They can make a poster advertising their candidate.
• They can write newspaper articles and ads in favor of their candidate.
• Students could put up signs around the school building.
• Wear t-shirts or buttons or other graphics to show-off their candidate.

The Primary

The students then hold a primary. The winners of each party will be chosen with this primary ballot. Discuss here the differences in states that use the caucus system and those that hold primary elections. Discuss the counting of delegates and how this works to narrow the race down to frontrunners in each party.

Students tally the primary votes and then prepare for the last phase of the election. That is the final general election. Discuss the ballot. What types are there? How are they tallied?

The Campaign Trail

Prepare for the final election by assigning students to candidates in the remaining parties.

• Have each set up a table to serve as their campaign headquarters.
• Design posters with a logo and a campaign slogan for each candidate.
• Design campaign buttons with the logo or slogan. Pass these out.
• Put up signs.
• Try scripting a campaign ad video for each of the candidates.
• Have the candidate give speeches and go on the campaign trail meeting voters, speaking to them, answering questions, etc.

Final General Election

Prepare the ballots. Set up a voting booth. Choose students to supervise the voting booths—to provide and oversee the ballots. Discuss the importance of privacy for the voter. Discuss who gets to vote. Everyone? Was, and is this always the case? Discuss voting registry. How does a voter register? How are voters prevented from voting more than once?

Celebrate

On the day of the election have the students cast their votes. The ballots should be collected and tallied. An official should announce the winners. Celebrate the election results with a class party.