The lesson plan below is intended to work with elections covered by ProCon, but may be adapted to work with other elections.
Objective:
Students will create a get out the vote campaign after learning how to register to vote in their state.
Students will:
- learn how to register to vote
- consider what would encourage voter registration
- put those ideas into action in a campaign
Resources/Materials:
- ProCon.org election coverage
- ProCon.org’s “How to Register to Vote” resource
- materials for get out the vote campaign (dependent on teacher preference, this may range from poster board and crayons to website-building software)
Preparation:
- Teachers should determine the parameters of the campaign, if any. Are students restricted to posters? Must they build a website?
- This assignment should be carried out over time.
Activity:
- Using ProCon.org’s “How to Register to Vote” resource, students should research how to register to vote in your state.
- In small groups, have students create a nonpartisan campaign to get out the vote (to encourage voter registration). This activity is scalable from simple posters to complex websites.
- Add-On Tasks:
a. Have students register to vote if old enough.
b. Have students research what strategies work best to get out the vote and use those strategies in their campaigns.
c. If your classroom or school has a community service requirement or component, students could enact their campaign within their communities.
Evaluation:
- Understanding of how to register to vote and how to vote
- Understanding of nonpartisan campaigning
- Quality of campaign
