Elections! Your vote is required!

With election fever brimming over this last week,   Joris Kempers asked me to submit something on my blog to encourage voter participation at the coming election.  Joris works for Elections Canada as a volunteer and he would LOVE to see all of his favourite Canucks come out and support their TEAM CANADA in the elections.  We have seen what happened in 2008 with low voter turnout, and maybe this year we can teach our students about democracy,  by taking them to what is happening in the rest of the world where uprisings happen in the name of "true democracy".  Lybia, Syria and other countries in Africa and the Middle East, are working towards the right to a fair and democratic say in their government.    So with this in mind let us support democracy in Canada, whether you agree or disagree as to how this election was precipitated.

Here are some ways to educate your students on the election process:

Elections Canada.  Choosing a Mascot and Canada at the Polls are 2 lessons we can teach our primary, and high school students more about the electoral system.
Elections Kits in our Physical Campus Library.
Statistics Canada  Intermediate and high school students will learn the following:

• To understand the Canadian system of representative democracy
• To analyse tabular data to reach conclusions on the outcome of election results
• To appreciate the effects of national and regional issues on federal elections

Canadian Children's Rights Council has tools for teaching democracy.
Students you get a chance to vote as well on the Elections Canada page.

CBC Learning

Media Awareness Network lesson plan on Watching the Elections for grade 8-12

Here is how one teacher is teaching the upcoming election in her classroom.

Another example of teaching Canadian democracy in the classroom from Canada's History.

Teachers Institute on Canadian Parliamentary Policy has lots of resources which explain government process.

The Learning Network (New York Times) has many lesson plans which explore democracy.

You may be interested to find out the statistics involving homeschoolers, and their civic participation over the last 10 years.  In this survey you will get all the facts!


If you have a teaching unit that encompasses democracy and elections we would love to hear from you: ) Thanks Joris for getting us talking about elections!

Blessings to you as you encourage discussions on democracy, and civic duties in your home.

Pippa