Election 2.0 Project

Something a little different this week. A project idea for the social studies classroom.

Driving Question:

How would you modify the election process in the United States?

Topics for students to research and discuss:

  • Electoral college
  • Gerrymandering
  • Two party system vs. multi-party system
  • Term limits
  • Lobbyists
  • Super PACs
  • Campaign finances
  • Length of campaigns
  • Compare to other democracies around the world
  • Length of time before confirmed/inaugurated
  • Primaries
  • Sortition
  • Federal Judge appointments
  • Cabinet appointments
  • Foreign interference
  • Voting laws
  • Felons
  • The voting age
  • Online voting
  • Absentee voting
  • Candidate requirements (minimum age, maximum age, experience, citizenship, etc.)

Each student team could research one of these topics and lead a Talking Circle or Socratic Seminar discussing it as a class. Students should consider both the origin and effect of current policies. All students should study other countries’ methods for creative ideas.

Final Product:

Students’ final product would be a formally written proposal addressing all changes that they would make to the US election process and their rationale for the changes. It should address all three branches: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial.

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