Elections

Education World's Great Sites for Teaching About ... page highlights Web sites to help educators work timely themes into their lessons. Internet educator Walter McKenzie selected the ten sites listed below, which are among the best on the Web for teaching about elections.

America Votes
http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/americavotes/
This is an online collection of memorabilia from past presidential campaigns. Resources date as far back as the Adams-Jefferson race of 1796. Users can find letters, pictures, trading cards, sheet music, posters, buttons, and much more here. Take a look at the Clay Gallopade from the 1844 race between Henry Clay and James K. Polk or examine a pamphlet about prohibition from the 1928 campaign between Al Smith and Herbert Hoover.

Cast Your Vote
http://www.learner.org/exhibits/statistics/
Cast Your Vote (CYV) provides an interactive survey that leads to a simulation and statistics exhibit on the voting process in the United States. Random sampling is defined, explained in depth, and then presented as a simulation in which participants can create a random sample for a fictitious candidate. The applications and vicarious experiences offer an excellent model for middle school students and older of how polling impacts the political process.

Democracy Project
http://pbskids.org/democracy
This fabulous PBS site is designed to involve students in upcoming elections with features such as Check the Record, Read Between the Lines, and Build Your Own Campaign. One link from the site, The Thirty Second Candidate, looks at political advertising in the United States with the intent of nurturing media savvy in today's students, tomorrow's voters. The included teacher materials are first-rate!

Election and Inauguration
http://www.pbs.org/inaugural97/letter.html
This site covers the 2001 and 2005 inaugurations of George W. Bush. A photo gallery and inaugural speeches are supplemented by activities, lessons and quizzes that span the entire history of presidential inaugurals.

Election Connection
http://exchange.co-nect.net/Teleprojects/project/Election
This project for upper elementary through high school students offers kids a chance to examine the elections from the perspective of a candidate, pollster, or voter. The site is well designed and includes educational standards and assessment rubrics to help you target your unit for optimal effectiveness. Participants will be able to cast their ballots from September 1 through October 28.

Kids Voting USA
http://www.kidsvotingusa.org/
Kids Voting USA operates through a national network of community-based affiliates that partner with schools and election officials to offer students in Kindergarten through high school a wide range of opportunities for civic learning. Its mission is "to secure the future of democracy by preparing young people to be educated, engaged voters." You must register to access the site's classroom resources.

Polling Report
http://www.pollingreport.com/
The Polling Report is a non-partisan breakdown of current polling statistics. The Polling Report doesn't just report the numbers, however, it offers thoughtful analysis of the numbers as well, while avoiding putting political spin on the results.

Voting and Registration Data
http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/voting.html
Users can access demographic and socioeconomic data concerning national elections from 1964 to the present. Your students can study results from any presidential race by gender, age, race, religion, education, and occupation.

07/31/2000
Links updated 09/22/2008