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U. S. Constitution and Civics - Elections & Voting |
Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote. ~ George Jean Nathan
| U.S. Civics and Constitution - Projects | Essays | Quotes on Government | Quotes 2 | Quotes 3 | Civics Resources | U.S. Constitution | |
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1. |
Ballot Access issues - Written for Pennsylvania. Can be applied to any state |
| 2. | Running for Public Office - how to |
| 3. |
Gerrymandering is having
a serious and lasting effect on government in the U.S.A.. What is gerrymandering? Do you believe it is right or wrong to do? Redistricting Gerrymandering - Are Voting Rights preserved by your State’s Voting Districts? |
| 4. | Elections and Term limits - Constitution Day civics activity |
| 5. | April Civics Activity - Exploring Franchise and Elections |
| 6. | Susan B. Anthony, the Constitution and the Vote |
| 7. | Women's Suffrage - honor a suffragist (problem based learning) |
| 8. | Amending the U.S. Constitution - Washington D.C. representation in the federal government |
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9. |
National Popular Vote - The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the election of the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and District of Columbia. Explore the issue surrounding the movement for a National Popular Vote. Conduct a class debate. |
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10. |
Voter Rights Act of 1965 renewal - Block the Vote resources |
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11. |
The Constitution of the United States does not set forth requirements
for the right to vote. Recount the history of voting rights in the U.S. from the adoption of the Constitution on September 17, 1787 to the Voting Rights Act (1965). Identify the point at which, an individual like you, was given the right to vote. Identify the last group of people to gain the right to vote. When did this occur? |
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12. |
Who Represents You? civics research project |
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13. |
Government Reform - Term Limits |
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14. |
Citizen initiative and ballot referendum |
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15. |
Using wedge issues to encourage people to vote. |
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16. |
Select one of Herblock's History - political cartoons at the Library of Congress that relates to elections or voting. What is the issue? Is it germane to you today? |
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17. |
Voters Rights - Convicted Felons |
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18. |
Electing a president - Exploring the Electoral College |
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19. |
Examine your Government's Demographic Statistics |
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20. |
Election Vocabulary Puzzle Make Your Own project - Rubric added |
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21. |
Some people believe that voter caging is a valid method for fighting voter fraud. Look into the issue. Is there voter fraud in your state? Do you support voter caging? |
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22. |
Youth Voter Campaign problem based learning |
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23. |
Act 1 of 2006 in PA. referendum of taxation PBL |
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24. |
Chief Justice John Marshall wrote, "The people made
the Constitution and the People can unmake it." Can citizens change the Constitution? What are the mechanisms in your state for changing its constitution? How many times has it been changed since its inception? What was the most recent change? |
25. |
Use the resources at Project Vote Smart to explore the voting record of someone who represents you. |
26. |
Each State enacts laws to prevent voter fraud and avoid election-day debacles. Do your own assessment of your state's voting laws. Do your support the voting laws in your state? |
| 27. | Civics Mystery Message - gather the Constitution facts to solve the message |
| 28. | Presidential Math Project |
| 29. | Create a multimedia game that asks questions about voting and elections. Who is your group's elections expert? |
| 30. | Elections – Mobilization versus Suppression |
| 31. | Watch - How the Iowa Straw Poll Works New York Times web site. Does the process shown represent your beliefs about how this nation's elections work? |
| 32. | Fallacy Watch: How to Read a Poll
Evaluate a poll's results that are in the news. Are the results meaningful?
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| 33. | Civil Rights - what are yours? |
| 34. | Read: False Ads: There Oughta Be A Law! - Or Maybe Not If truth-in-advertising laws do not apply to campaign ads or other political speech, how should the information in these ads be viewed?. |
| 35. | FactCheck.org at Annenberg Public Policy Center helps you find the spin in political and other messages. Select one of the subjects they expose. How has their "debunking" influenced your opinion? |
| 36. | Consider this election related flier. What is the message? Who is sending the message? Does it motivate you to act? |
| 37. | Slant seen in '08 race coverage by Jennifer Harper, October 29, 2007 Washington Times article. What do you think? |
| 38. | Letters to the Editor regarding voting |
| 39. | Political Literacy: Sifting thru the spin | Watch Chris Malone's "crash course" on deciphering political TV ads.
Based on this information, what is your impression or sense of elections in the United States? |
| 40. | Democracy Project at PBS lessons and activities Why Vote?  |
| 41. | What should be the date for General Elections? |
| The Role of the Media In Elections lesson plans adapt for current election off site | |
| Freedom a History of US - a media rich site that explores many freedom issues in US history | |
| Library of Congress' Inaugurations web project | |
| Voting motivation issue video explaining the power and importance of the vote. ** If you're having trouble viewing this link, you can download Windows Media Player for free. |
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| Pennsylvania Project - state government focus | |
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.
Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!" Benjamin Franklin
Civics and Constitution Projects - Essays | Elections and Voting | Sen Byrd's speech | Go to Extras | Quotes
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Updated 11/2009, Initially posted 2/2006 by Cynthia J. O'Hora