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.