(Time varies)

OBJECTIVE
Students participate in a variety of activities to increase the number of adult voters and/or kid voters who attend the polls on Election Day.

MATERIALS
The materials needed depend on what project the students decide to undertake.

GET READY

• See "The Right to Vote" and "Voter Apathy" in the Appendix.

INSTRUCTIONS

• Have students brainstorm responses to the following question: "How can we increase the number of registered voters/kid voters who will attend the polls on election day?"
• Here are some possibilities to add to students' lists if they do not come up with them:
  -  Posters
  -  Flyers
  -  Letter to the editor of a local and/or school newspaper
  -  Public service announcement on the radio
  -  Voter registration drive
  -  Calling registered voters to remind them to vote
  -  Setting up a public display in the library, mall, or outside a grocery store
  -  Contacting neighbors, friends, relatives, etc.
• Decide which activity or activities students will undertake to increase the voter turnout. Students could work in small groups or the entire class could work on one project.
• Have students keep track of how many kids and/or adults they influence to vote. A large thermometer-type graph could be posted in the classroom and filled in periodically as students complete their activities. (Of course, they won't be able to discern the effects of all activities, for example, posters and flyers.) As a school or a class, students could set a goal to influence a certain number (100? 1000?) of people to go to the polls. If they worked with the adult population, they could check the Auditor's Web pages, contact the Auditor's office, and/or contact the Election Commissioner for voter turnout records. Be sure to compare results to the voter turnout of the last comparable election.
• After the election, discuss in class whether students think they made a difference.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

• What did you learn about the challenges of influencing people to vote?
• Did you make a difference? If so, how?
• Was this activity easier or harder than you thought it would be? Why?
• What was the best approach in trying to get people to vote?
• Do you think most citizens appreciate their right to vote? Why do you feel that way?
• What challenges do we face that prevent people from voting? What can you do about those challenges?
• What did this activity teach you about the right to vote?

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