Election Toolkit for Teachers

WELCOME T THE WELCOME TO THE WELCOME TO THE Developed by the

INTRODUCTION FOR TEACHERS The Election Toolkit has been designed for you and your students to explore the process of voting and elections. It’s a handy all-in-one kit to help you run your own election. It includes most of the props you will need. Downloadable versions of all documents are available online. Please visit parliament.uk/electiontoolkit We hope that the toolkit will demystify the election process and encourage students to consider our democratic rights in the UK. The toolkit is designed to be intuitive and experiential; flexible in use and reusable. A brief user manual is also included in the kit. This PowerPoint presentation has been created as a basic guide to take you through the process. An election can be run in a minimum of two lessons or a double period or it can be extended in stages over a longer period of time. You may want to print out individual slides for your students’ reference. Please feel free to adapt to your own style and needs. Let us know what you’ve done with the kit. We welcome your feedback and hope you enjoy using it. Email us with your feedback on education@parliament.uk Now get started! *Underlined words can be found in the Glossary of Terms at the end of this Presentation

18 WELCOME TO YOUR ELECTION TOOLKIT In May 2015, a General Election will be held in the UK. In an election, citizens aged 18 and over can choose to vote for a candidate to represent them and their constituency in Parliament. Those elected Candidates become MPs. The right to vote in an election is the heartbeat of our democracy and the act of placing a vote is a momentous and empowering experience. 16 12

THE TOOLKIT Parliament has created an Election Toolkit to enable you to experience the lead up to and the process of an election. The toolkit includes all of the props you need to replicate the real thing in 10 clear steps. Everyone will have a role in making the election happen.

THE TOOLKIT • In your Ballot Box you’ll find: • Stickers to brand your box • Security Seals • Ballot Papers • Electoral Registers • Poll Cards • Poll Station Sign • Officials’ Lanyards • Team stickers • Rosettes for party leaders • Pin Badges for members • Manifesto Posters • Policy Cards and • a Stamp to make all of your paperwork official!

RUN YOUR ELECTION IN TEN STEPS RUN YOUR ELECTION IN TEN STEPS

STEP 1 — REGISTER TO VOTE STEP 1 To take part in an election every eligible citizen can register to vote either by returning a registration card they receive from their local council or online. Before you start, in the toolkit you will find an Electoral Register. Pass the register round and encourage everyone to fill in their details. Remember, if you’re not registered you can’t vote. WHAT’S NEXT: STEP 2 — VOTER PROFILES

STEP 2 — VOTER PROFILES STEP 2 Before we get started, it’s time to think about a very important participant in an election; the VOTER! Take a moment to reflect on yourself and the community you live in and on the country as a whole. Doing this will help you decide who you might vote for in your election. — What issues motivate you or concern you? Transport, innovation and business or international development for example? — What change would you like to see in your local area or country as a whole? WHAT’S NEXT: STEP 3 — ASSIGNING ROLES

STEP 3 — ASSIGNING ROLES STEP 3 • Everyone has a part to play in this election. • Please divide up into the following teams • and discuss your roles and responsibilities. • Party Teams • 4 x candidates + teams • Polling Station Teams • Registrar + team • Polling Officer + team • Chief Counter + team • Polling Station Manager + team • All the students in class that registered • are also voters. 4 party candidates 1 candidate for each party Party TEAM MEMBERS 1 registrar + TEAM 1 chief counter + TEAM 1 polling officer + TEAM 1 polling station manager + TEAM WHAT’S NEXT: STEP 3 — ASSIGNING ROLES: DIVISION

STEP 3 — ASSIGNING ROLES: DIVISION The class should now divide into two. The class will now work in Party teamsand Polling Station teams to work towards the election. You will be working on your roles and responsibilities at the same time as each other so it is important you are clear on what you are doing. Polling Station teams can begin to prepare for the election using their lanyard instructions, while Party teams can complete their manifestos following upcoming directions. If preferred, all students can stay together as instructions for both teams are read out across the following slides. Party teams collect their rosettes, badges and spare stickers if needed and will create their manifestos using the Policy Cards provided. Polling Station teams will collect their Lanyards with instructions and team member stickers, then complete official paperwork and prepare the Polling Station. WHAT’S NEXT: STEP 4 — PARTIES

STEP 4 — PARTIES STEP 4 When we vote in an election we vote for a candidate representing our constituency. Each candidate will fight the election on a manifesto – a set of ideas and policies that a political party sets out to achieve if they get into power. Although candidates can stand as independents. Party teams will now create their own manifesto using the Manifesto Poster Template and Policy Cards. Before you start ensure that the party candidates are wearing their Rosette and the team members are wearing their Badges or Stickers! WHAT’S NEXT: STEP 5 — MANIFESTO

STEP 5 — MANIFESTO STEP 5 Each party will receive 12 Policy Cards. Each policy is drawn from a set of topics such as Education, Transport, Health etc. Study your selection in detail. Using debate and discussion narrow down your policies to just 3 — the ones you think are most important to the party. WHAT’S NEXT: STEP 6 — THE POLLING STATION

STEP 5 — MANIFESTO STEP 5 Your final selection of 3 policies makes a completed manifesto. Have a discussion as a group about what makes your manifesto stand out. This will help you present your policies to the electorate later on in the process. Make sure you attach your policies to the Manifesto Poster Template provided. WHAT’S NEXT: STEP 6 — THE POLLING STATION

MEANWHILE...... MEANWHILE… MEANWHILE…

STEP 6 — THE POLLING STATION STEP 6 By now the Polling Station team should be aware of their roles and are setting-up an election in the space provided. Just in case; team instructions are on the back of the Officials’ lanyards and an overview of tasks can be found on the next slide too. WHAT’S NEXT: STEP 6 — ROLES DESCRIPTIONS

STEP 6 — THE POLLING STATION • Registrar team • Complete Poll Cards using voter details from the Electoral Register. • Stamp each Poll Card when complete to confirmit is ‘official’. • Distribute Poll Cardsto the electorate. • At election, the Registrar will sign off voters as they arrive using Electoral Register. • Polling Officer team • Complete the Ballot Papers, adding the candidate details. • Prepare the Ballot Boxby applying the four PartyStickers. • Complete the information panels on each sideof the box. • At election, the Polling Officer will hand out Ballot Papers. WHAT’S NEXT: STEP 6 — MORE ROLES DESCRIPTIONS

STEP 6 — THE POLLING STATION • Chief Counter team • Ensure the Ballot Boxis empty and seal it. • Create forms to record the results – one for each counter. • After the vote is complete, break the seal on the box. Each counter must count the votes and record their numbers on their form. • The Chief Counter must check the forms to verify the count and supply final figures to Returning Officer. • Polling Station Manager team • Find a suitable private area for the Polling Booth. • Create a Polling Booth using card and provide pens. • Put up Polling Station poster. • Set-up a table for the Registrar and Polling Officer to sit at. • At election, the Polling Station Manager must ensure all voters queue in an orderly fashion. WHAT’S NEXT: STEP 7 — PRESENTING MANIFESTOS

MEANWHILE...... THE CLASS SHOULD NOW RE-GROUP THE CLASS SHOULD NOW RE-GROUP

STEP 7 — PRESENTING MANIFESTOS STEP 7 Before we vote in an election we will have heard about what parties intend to do in power via candidates canvassing for our vote door-to-door, online or via election broadcasts. This information helps us make a decision about who we might vote for. Each party candidate has 3 minutes to present their Manifesto Poster to the class and canvass for votes! 3 MINUTES 3 MINUTES 3 MINUTES 3 MINUTES WHAT’S NEXT: STEP 8 — TIME TO VOTE

STEP 8 — TIME TO VOTE STEP 8 The Chief Registrarand Polling Officershould take their seats at a table with the Electoral Register. The rest of the class, the electorate, will now line up to vote, remembering to bring their Poll Card and to vote in privacy! Each voter must present their Poll Card to the Chief Registrar who will check them off the Electoral Register. The Polling Officerwill hand them a Ballot Paper. Meanwhile the Station Manager will ensure voters queue in an orderly fashion. WHAT’S NEXT: STEP 9 — COUNTING THE VOTE

STEP 9 — COUNTING THE VOTE STEP 9 The Counting Team now have the responsibility of emptying the Ballot Box and counting the votes. The Security Seal is broken and all the papers are taken out and divided into piles according to the cross in the box. Each pile is then counted to get the initial figure of how many votes each candidate has. Each counter should take and record a count to ensure accuracy. WHAT’S NEXT: STEP 10 — RESULTS

STEP 10 — RESULTS A final count is verified by the Chief Counters and the results can be announced in alphabetical order by the Returning Officer. We suggest this is your teacher. The candidate with the largest amount of votes is the winner! The winning candidate gets to make an acceptance speech, usually thanking the electorate and promising to uphold the manifesto. What happens if there’s a draw? Under Electoral Commission guidelines, in the event of a tie between two candidates, the returning officer must decide between the candidates by the addition of an extra vote decided by the drawing of lots. STEP 10

? What’s next? What’s next? • Now that you have completed your election, here are some questions to consider: • How did it feel to take part in your election? • What are your thoughts on the outcome of the vote? • What activities or further learning could you now do as a class based on your election experience? • If any teams undertook research during the session, why not share your findings with your class? • When will you be eligible to vote? Remember, you can register from the age of 16 by post or online – www.gov.uk/register-to-vote • Find out more about Parliament and the election process – www.parliament.uk/education

We hope you enjoyed running your own election! Developed by the Let us know what you think about the kit; email us on education@parliament.uk and also send us some photos of the kit in action!

Election Toolkit for Teachers