Teaching About Voting and Elections

 

Teaching Tips

By creating classrooms that support civil discourse on current issues and events, students learn how to be engaged citizens now and through adulthood. One of the Six Proven Practices of Civic Learning is to provide opportunities for “discussion of current local, national, and international issues and events in the classroom, particularly those that young people view as important to their lives.” According to the National Center for Learning and Civic Engagement, by providing such opportunities, educators allow students to “learn how to engage productively with the issues and events that animate our political system today and will continue to do so in the future.”  

Primary Grades

In primary grades, students learn about themselves and their communities as they study how we live and work together. Teachers can read books with their students and discuss topics such as why we have rules, how rules are made, and how we decide. These lessons lay the foundation for an understanding of how people participate in the governing of society. In our system, voting and elections play a central role.

Upper Elementary

According to the 2016 History-Social Science Framework, “In elementary school, students begin by examining the roles and responsibilities of people in their immediate community and grow to understand the roles and responsibilities of government at different levels, in different branches, and in different times and places. They also begin to understand how all people in a community or society participate in a democracy and interact with each other responsibly.” As students grow and learn about the American system of government, they study how elections work from local to national levels. And, as they study local, California, and United States history, they can learn about how the Founders originally thought of voting rights and how that changed over time.

Middle and High School

During their middle and high school years, students begin forming their civic identities. The curriculum provides them with opportunities to investigate how people engage in the governance of their societies and how that changes and remains the same over time and space. They can also study how democratic systems have evolved, and play close attention to how people make their voices heard through voting. In American government and history courses, they can trace the expansion of voting rights, explore the instances of contested elections, and analyze perspectives on current topics about elections (e.g. debates the electoral college). 

Approaches to Instruction

Teachers should be mindful of the diverse perspectives and backgrounds of their students and use this as an opportunity to help them recognize and accept multiple points of view. Here are some recommendations when approaching instruction on voting and elections:

• Remain nonpartisan and refrain from sharing their own political opinions
• Be aware of the context in which you are teaching, including the age and political makeup of their class and school
• Have clear educational aims
• Develop an open and democratic classroom (see Resources for Classroom Discussion)
• Communicate proactively with parents, families, and administrators

 

 

Resources for Classroom Discussion

Developing the skills and dispositions for civil discourse is a crucial aspect of a student's education to help prepare them to become civic agents in a democratic society. While discussion of issues that are viewed as controversial or difficult can be fraught, by developing an open classroom and employing purposeful strategies, teachers can minimize the risk of conflict. Below are resources that educators can consult:

Teaching Controversial Issues: A Framework for Reflective Practice by Dr. Judy Pace

After researching how teacher education programs in highly divided societies (such as Northern Ireland) prepare teachers to engage students in classroom discussions on controversial issues, Dr. Pace developed the concept of contained risk taking. This allows teachers to engage students in discussion while minimizing the risk of conflict. To support teachers in this approach, she developed a framework for reflective practice.

Fostering Civil Discourse: How Do We Talk About Issues That Matter (Facing History and Ourselves)

Based on the notion that discussion of controversial issues isn’t difficult, it’s unpracticed, this publication provides guidance and resources for teachers to help students practice the skills of talking with people who have different perspectives.

 

Resources for Teaching about Voting and Elections

For Young Children

Below are two articles that provide ideas, resources, and videos to help teach primary students about voting.

• PBS Kids Let’s Vote! Talking to Children About Voting
• PBS SoCal 5 Easy Ways to Talk to Kids About Voting

Lesson Plans

Intended for older students, these resources provide lesson plans for teaching about a variety of topics related to elections, voting, and voting rights.

• The Center for Civic Education Voting Lessons
• Facing History and Ourselves Voting Rights in the United States, A New Generation of Young Voters Emerges
•  iCivics Election Headquarters
• National Constitution Center Voting Rights
• National Women’s History Museum 19th Amendment Lesson Plan  

Voter Information/Voter Outreach

Educators wishing to teach students about how they can engage in the voting process, including through volunteering as a poll worker or participating in mock elections, can find information through the county registrar of voters and the California secretary of state’s office.

• The San Diego County Registrar of Voters
• The California Secretary of State Vote California
• SDCOE: Campaign Activities by Employees, Candidates, and Students Resource Guide

Current Events and Media Literacy

Current events and media literacy are crucial components of civic education. These resources help students in analyzing multiple perspectives and developing online reasoning skills.

• SDCOE: Literacy Resource Guide
• SDCOE: Resources for Discussing Historic Legal Events
• AllSides
• Today’s Front Pages
• Facing History and Ourselves: How to Read the News Like a Fact Checker
• Digital Inquiry Group (formerly SHEG): Civic Online Reasoning

Other Resources

• BallotPedia 
• C-SPAN Classroom: How States Redistrict
• PBS Learning Media: The Election Connection
• Edutopia: Using the Election as a Teaching Tool
• National Constitution Center: Election Day
• CIRCLE: Research on Youth Civic Participation