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Tips for Discussing Voting and Elections in Today’s Classroom

October 4, 2024

Tips for Discussing Voting and Elections in Today’s Classroom

Veteran teacher Sara Kempner shares practical tools from us.vote that encourage open dialogue, foster understanding, and help students see themselves in the voting process, ultimately empowering them as informed citizens.

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By Sara Kempner

With new state laws restricting topics covered in classrooms and an increasingly polarized electorate, educators have become reluctant to teach about voting and elections. But it’s not only teachers who are anxious. Students are hesitant to go there as well. 

I started teaching high school social studies in 1991 at the end of the Cold War. For the first 15 years, my students were so energized when discussing politics that we often ran past the bell and continued our discussions after school. That enthusiasm waned into self-censorship over the past decade. Some students avoid sharing their views in fear that they will be rejected by their classmates or that they will make others feel uncomfortable. My attempts to initiate political discussions were sometimes met with downcast eyes, seat fidgeting and an unsettling silence.

Some students avoid sharing their views in fear that they will be rejected by their classmates or that they will make others feel uncomfortable.

In recent years, students have come to see me during free periods to share their opinions in the security of a one-on-one conversation. Some only share their perspectives via email. I came to realize I had to find new ways to revive civil discourse in my classroom not only for the sake of education but also for the health of our democracy.I employed age-old techniques such as longer wait time; small group discussions, including the jigsaw technique; anonymous writing prompts; debates with assigned positions; simulations, and more.

One of the best strategies to navigate the voting and elections elements of high school social studies curricula in the current political climate is to lean on the trustworthy nonpartisan website us.vote. Here, U.S. Vote Foundation has generated a goldmine of innovative, reliable resources. These assets engage students as well as provide a springboard for deep learning and great discussions. 

I came to realize I had to find new ways to revive civil discourse in my classroom not only for the sake of education but also for the health of our democracy.

If you combine your best pedagogical practices with us.vote’s interactive tools, you’ll have some excellent and relevant instructional activities at the ready. Here’s how I recommend teaching with us.vote’s stellar resources: the You’re Eligible Situations—YES Voter Library and the Voter Journey Map and:

1. Help students share and relate through the third person rather than the first person.

Have students read about voters who have faced voting challenges. The You’re Eligible Situations—YES Voter Library is a fantastic nonpartisan collection of true voter stories that inspire and inform citizens to overcome situational barriers to the ballot box. The instructional guide can help empower students in similar circumstances or enable them to relate to others outside their bubble. Students can discuss the voting scenarios safely, using “he” or “she” instead of “I” if they are reticent about sharing their personal experiences. 

They will meet Ela who had to prove her latitude and longitude to continue voting from the Navajo Nation. Nhi, who fled Vietnam barefoot through the jungle as a child with the dream of becoming an American citizen who could vote. Jeremiah, a perpetual world traveler who still manages to cast his ballot from remote locations. Steven, who will no longer let his disability stop him from voting. Michelle, who regained her right to vote two decades after incarceration. I became enthralled with each voting champion as I interviewed them for the YES Campaign, and they continue to uplift me. I’ll never again complain if I have to wait in line to cast my ballot.

2. Provide students the opportunity to connect with election processes privately and independently before discussing or analyzing as a class.

A few years ago, I had planned a lesson for an Advanced Placement class that would present four options to reform Social Security. I was about to dive into the deep end of Bloom’s Taxonomy when a student shared that he thought Social Security was just a number you use to identify yourself on forms such as college applications—a “secure” number for “social” purposes. His comment pressed a mental pause button for me. I had been planning to bypass basic knowledge/comprehension questions and plunge into higher-order thinking questions. Sometimes, we forget that students cannot yet relate to “adulting” topics.

Similarly, we might just think students will know how to vote when the time comes. We forget that they may not have voter ID or the stamps they need to mail in an absentee ballot request form. The Voter Journey Map at us.vote walks them through the entire voting process from start to finish. They’ll find out how they can look up eligibility and ID requirements to see how they can vote in the state where they study if they head out of state for college. They’ll see how to look up whether they can pre-register to vote as high schoolers and how to find out where their polling place will be. And much more!

I recommend letting students plan out how they will engage in the act of voting with this personalized program before you discuss voter turnout or election laws. Once students can relate to the voting process in a humanized manner, they may be more open to participate in an informed discussion. Plus, they will have the benefit of their own experience instead of just repeating what they have heard others say about elections.

In addition to using the Voter Journey Map as an authentic learning experience to ignite discussion, this resource can also be your go-to resource for an applied civics or informed action project. The instructional guide provides project ideas that are aligned with College Board and National Council of the Social Studies standards. The most popular lesson includes options for students to roleplay voters with varying demographics so that students can not only compare/contrast state voting policies but also different situational perspectives. 

Voter Journey Map

Students need to feel connection and understanding today more than ever. These tools at us.vote can help them become empowered voters who can better relate to other citizens and more astutely analyze the American electoral landscape. You may even find that some of your students will stay past the bell and seek to share these voting tools in your community!

Please find our civic resources on the us.vote Share My Lesson Partner Page: https://sharemylesson.com/partner/usvote-how-vote-america

Sara Kempner has been the recipient of numerous teaching honors as well as the national Sallie Mae First Class Teacher Award, which was sponsored by the American Association of School Administrators. She has mentored high school teachers; delivered academic keynote addresses; and trained overseas teachers in innovative experiential instructional techniques through state and federal grants. She currently develops creative campaigns and strategic partnerships for U.S. Vote Foundation and its Overseas Vote and us.vote initiatives.

2024 Election Lesson Plans and Resources

 

Explore our election resources to engage your students in learning about the election process and its significance at every level. Discover lessons on election fundamentals, laws, security, current events, youth involvement, and historic U.S. elections.

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us.vote – How to Vote in America
us.vote is a new 2024 initiative of the nonpartisan, nonprofit U.S. Vote Foundation and is designed to offer a fresh approach to answering the “how to vote” question in America. The foundation’s combined mission and vision: Every Citizen is a Voter. All that we do is geared toward realizing our... See More
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