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Running a mock election
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45 Minutes
Part 1:
Preparing for a mock election
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Agenda for your mock election
Part 1
• Why are we doing this?
• Our mock election
• Preparing for the election
Part 2
• How to vote
• Election time
• Voting!
• A call to action
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Why are we doing this?
0:000:22
On Tuesday 18th April, the Prime Minister Theresa
May announced that there will be a general election
on Thursday 8th June, three years before it was
supposed to happen.
Question (2 mins)
What is a general
election and why
is it important?
A general election is the chance
for every adult to vote for who
they want to run the country*.
They cast a single vote for one of
the political parties in the UK. It
usually happens every five years.
http://viewpure.com/4xr9-CkZZRk?start=0&end=22
General elections are hugely important. They
give adults (and one day you) the chance to
decide who rules the country. Yet still lots of
people don’t make the effort to vote! Only 43%
of young people (18-24 year olds) voted in the
last election.
Question (3 mins)
Why do you think people
don’t vote? Is it worth
asking your parents
whether they vote?
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Agenda for your mock election
Part 1
• Why are we doing this?
• Our mock election
• Preparing for the election
Part 2
• How to vote
• Election time
• Voting!
• A call to action
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Our mock election (real parties)
Step 1: The class is
going to be split into 5
groups. Your teacher
will then tell you which
political party your
group is going to be.
Step 2: Once you have been
given a political party you need
to pick who from your group will
be the party leader. They will
make big decisions and give a
speech at the end. They will
pretend to be Theresa May or
other leaders in the election.
Step 3: Your group will
have to learn about your
party. Focus on the
things your party cares
about most and the
policies they have.
Step 4: Once you have learned
about your party, you need to
decide how to convince people
to vote for you. Will you just
rely on your leader’s speech or
do you want to make flyers,
banners, or posters?
Step 5: In the lesson or
as homework, you will
then write the speech
for your leader, make
posters, fliers, banners
and do anything else
you can to win votes.
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Our mock election (our own parties)
Step 1: The class is
going to be split into
groups. Your teacher
will then allow you to
create your own new
political party!
Step 3: The voters will have
to learn about your party. You
will have to make some
policies/promises that you
care about and make sure you
can explain them.
Step 4: Once you have a set of
policies/promises you need to
decide how you will convince
everyone to vote for you. Will
you just rely on your leader’s
speech or do you want to make
fliers, banners and posters?
Step 2: You will need to think
of a name for your party and
design a logo. Once you have
done those things you can pick
who from your group will be
the party leader. They will
make big decisions and give a
speech at the end.
Step 5: In the lesson
or as homework, you
will then write the
speech for your
leader, make posters,
fliers, banners and do
anything else you can
to win votes.
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Agenda for your mock election
Part 1
• Why are we doing this?
• Our mock election
• Preparing for the election
Part 2
• How to vote
• Election time
• Voting!
• A call to action
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Preparing for the election! (Real parties)
Election Activity (30 mins)
It is time to start preparing!
In the next 30 mins you will
do everything to prepare
for the debate next lesson.
Step 1 (5 mins)
Your teacher will now separate
you into groups, pick your party
and give you a set of resources.
Step 3 (10 mins)
Look at the resources your teacher has given you. As
a group discuss the most important policies and ideas
the party has. Make sure you all understand what
your party stands for.
Step 2 (5 mins)
You now have 5 minutes
to pick the leader of your
party. They will have to
give a speech next lesson
Steps 4 and 5 (10 mins, complete as homework)
Come up with your leader’s speech and the ways you will
convince your classmates to vote for you. Think about the
things they care about and how you will answer any difficult
questions from them. Look at the ‘promoting your party’
worksheet for more ideas
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Preparing for the election! (Students’ parties)
Election Activity (30 mins)
It is time to start preparing!
In the next 30 mins you will
do everything to prepare
for the debate next lesson.
Step 1 (7 mins)
Your teacher will now separate
you into groups. Your group has
to come up with a party name
Step 3 (10 mins)
Your teacher will give you some worksheets to help
structure your thoughts. You now have to come up
with a set of ideas/policies for how you will make the
country or school better
Step 2 (3 mins)
You now have 5 minutes
to pick the leader of your
party. They will have to
give a speech next lesson
Steps 4 and 5 (10 mins, complete as homework)
Come up with your leader’s speech and the ways you will
convince your classmates to vote for you. Think about the
things they care about and how you will answer any difficult
questions from them. Look at the ‘promoting your party’
worksheet for more ideas
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45 Minutes
Part 2:
Election Day!
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Agenda for your mock election
Part 1
• Why are we doing this?
• Our mock election
• Preparing for the election
Part 2
• How to vote
• Election time
• Voting!
• A call to action
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How to vote: registering!
When adults want to vote, they have to
register first. This means filling in a form.
Adult life is full of filling forms, but this one is
very important! If you don’t do it you can’t
have a say in who runs the country
Activity (4-5 mins)
To vote in our election, you have to
register too! You will either have to
fill in a form that your teacher gives
you or you can write the following
down on a piece of paper and hand
it back to them:
Your name, your age, your school
and your form group
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How to vote: casting your vote
Pair Activity (3-4 mins)
Which of these are the
best reasons to vote
for a party in your
election?
In general elections,
some people vote for
the leader who they
think is the most
interesting or most
confident
Other people often vote
for the party they think
is the nicest, or the
party full of people from
the same background as
they are
You can also vote for
the party that has
policies and ideas that
you think are the best.
This takes a bit more
work to figure out
It sounds boring, but it is
important to vote for the party
who you think has the best
policies. So make sure you
listen to the ideas that your
classmates come up with and
note them down
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Agenda for your mock election
Part 1
• Why are we doing this?
• Our mock election
• Preparing for the election
Part 2
• How to vote
• Election time
• Voting!
• A call to action
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Election time!
A hustings is a meeting
where a politician talks
to voters. They want to
convince voters to elect
them
Hustings! (30 mins)
Each party leader will have 3 minutes
exactly to give a speech about why you
should vote for their party. The class must
listen and not interrupt.
Once they have finished, the class can ask
questions for 3 more minutes. The whole
party can answer these questions.
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Agenda for your mock election
Part 1
• Why are we doing this?
• Our mock election
• Preparing for the election
Part 2
• How to vote
• Election time
• Voting!
• A call to action
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Time to vote!
Time to Vote!
Take a voting slip from your
teacher or just write down the
party you want to vote for on a
piece of paper. Make sure no one
else sees your vote and give it to
your teacher
Remember when you vote
you can’t vote for your own
party. You should also think
really carefully about who
came up with policies and
ideas that you agree with
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Agenda for your mock election
Part 1
• Why are we doing this?
• Our mock election
• Preparing for the election
Part 2
• How to vote
• Election time
• Voting!
• A call to action
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Call to Action!
Home idea
Can’t vote? Talk to someone
who can!
These elections are important
for your education, your health
and your future!
Why don’t you talk to your
parents about what you care
about and ask if you can help
them choose who to vote for!
Find out more!
If you want to know more about
who is going to be elected as
your MP, ask your school to see
if they can bring the candidates
into school to talk to all of you
School idea
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This pack was put together by the team at
VotesforSchools. If you want to keep debating
and have your voice heard, join the
VotesforSchools programme!
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