(45 minutes)

OBJECTIVE
Students carefully study the candidates to make a voting decision.

MATERIALS
My Concerns and the Issues in This Election handout; Rate the Candidate's Experience handout; Rate the Candidates' Characteristics handout

• Copy Rate the Candidates' Stands on the Issues, Rate the Candidate's Experience, and Rate the Candidates' Characteristics for each student. You will need at least two copies of the Rate the Candidate's Experience handout for each student.
• Use the Rate the Candidate's Experience handout only if your students are rating presidential candidates, or adapt it to the race that your students are studying.

• Lead students in a discussion on the differences between a candidate's characteristics, experience and qualifications, and stands on the issues, using some of the questions provided if appropriate.
• Help students find information to fill out the work sheets. This can include information on the candidates' stands on the issues and their personal characteristics and/or experience.
• Have your students share their opinions on the various candidates from their findings on the handouts.

• What are some characteristics of a good candidate?
• What are some experiences and qualifications of a good candidate?
• What are some stands on issues you have heard expressed?
• Which of these three (characteristics, experience, stands) if any, are most important to consider when making a decision?
• Could you make a wise voting decision based only on characteristics, stands, or experience? Or should you look at all three together?
• Is there anything else you need to know to make a wise decision?
• Is there anything you can do if your personal concerns are not issues in a campaign, but you feel they should be addressed?

VOTE QUOTE
"It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers." –James Thurber