We teach students that we live in a democracy and try to instill in them a desire to participate in the political process. The truth of the matter is that often relatively low numbers of Americans take advantage of their right to vote.

This lesson is designed for high school government students. I could also be used in other social studies or mathematics or statistics classes.

Familiarity with using the Internet. Ability to make pie charts.

Internet access, word processor.

Students should access the Federal Election Commission site, http://www.fec.gov to complete Questions #1-13 on the Activity Sheet. They should find additional information about voting patterns and write a letter to their favorite candidate in the upcoming presidential election suggesting ways to increase voter registration.

See points on the Activity sheet. A scoring rubric for the assigned letter should be based on the student’s thoroughness in suggesting ways to increase voter registration. Students should search for other Internet sites that discuss factors important in increasing voter turnout.

Students may choose two different presidential election years which had greatly different voter turnout rates and try to determine why one year had a bigger voter turnout than the other.

!!!! Warning !!!! The Web sites given in this lesson may have changed! Before using this lesson with your students, be sure to check if the sites are still working or if you must find another site. Sometimes the sites still have the relevant data but you may need to change the directions for accessing the data.

In order to print out just a copy of the student worksheet, highlight this section, then copy and paste it into your word processor. You may then revise the worksheet if you wish.

Activity Sheets.  

Access the website www.fec.gov and click Citizen Guide. Use this website to answer the questions below.

1. Define the term "Voting Age Population (VAP)."

2. According to the definition of VAP, which groups are excluded?

3. Democracy means government by the people, of the people, and for the people. How does an American gain access to our system of voting?

4. How do people gain access to voting in your state?

5. How could a person lose his or her right to participate in the voting process?

6. What is the difference between the VAP and Registered Voters?

7. In the 1996 presidential election, which state did the best job of registering its VAP? In other words, which state had the highest percentage of its VAP registered?

8. What was the combined average voter turnout rate of all 50 states in the 1996 presidential election?

9. Which state had the highest voter turnout rate in the 1996 election? Which state had the lowest turnout?

10. What percentage of the total voter turnout were each of the following age groups:

18-20 years ______________ 21-24 years ______________ 25-44 years ______________

45-64 years _______________ 65 and older ________________

11. Produce a pie chart showing the percentages you listed in Question #10 above.

12. How has the role of women changed in federal elections since 1972? Who was more likely to show up at the polls in 1996, men or women?

13. How does voter turnout in the United States compare with that of other nations?

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Use information from the website www.fec.gov and at least two other websites to complete this project.

Write a letter to your favorite candidate in the upcoming presidential election. Let that candidate know where he or she might find the most votes. In other words, which part of the U. S. population should he or she try to mobilize in terms of voter registration? Make sure to include an analysis based on age, race, gender, and state of residence. Try to find out your candidate’s position on some important issues. Try to find information about which part of the U. S. population would most likely agree with these positions.

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Access the website www.fec.gov and click Citizen Guide. Use this website to answer the questions below.

1. Define the term "Voting Age Population (VAP)."

Anyone claiming residence in the United States who is 18 years of age or older.

2. According to the definition of VAP, which groups are excluded?

Anyone who is less than 18 years old.

3. Democracy means government by the people, of the people, and for the people. How does an American gain access to our system of voting?

A person must register to vote.

4. How do people gain access to voting in your state?

In Wisconsin, the criteria to register are:

Be a citizen of the United States.

Be a resident of Wisconsin for at least 10 days.

Not be convicted of treason, felony, bribery; or have had your civil rights restored.

Not have been found by a court to be incapable of understanding the objective of the electoral process.

Not make or benefit from a bet or wager depending on the result of an election.

5. How could a person lose his or her right to participate in the voting process?

Denounce one’s citizenship. Become a resident of another state. Be convicted of treason, felony or bribery. Be found to be incapable of understanding the electoral process. Bet on the results of the election.

6. What is the difference between the VAP and Registered Voters?

The VAP include all people 18 years or older; Registered Voters are those who have actually gone through the registration process in some state.

7. In the 1996 presidential election, which state did the best job of registering its VAP? In other words, which state had the highest percentage of its VAP registered?

Alaska, with 97.6%.

8. What was the combined average voter turnout rate of all 50 states in the 1996 presidential election?

74.4%

9. Which state had the highest voter turnout rate in the 1996 election? Which state had the lowest turnout?

Maine with 67.86% had the highest voter turnout; Nevada the lowest with 38.31%.

10. What percentage of the total voter turnout were each of the following age groups:

18-20 years ____ 3.21% _____ 21-24 years __ 4.41% ___ 25-44 years ___ 39.08% ___

45-64 years ___ 32.96% ____ 65 and older ____ 20.34% ______

11. Produce a pie chart showing the percentages you listed in Question #10 above.

12. How has the role of women changed in federal elections since 1972? Who was more likely to show up at the polls in 1996, men or women?

The percent of men and women who have voted since 1972 has been approximately equal, with the woman percentage usually being slightly higher since 1984. In 1996, 55.5% women voted while 52.8% men voted.

13. How does voter turnout in the United States compare with that of other nations?

The average voter turnout in the U.S. for 1992, 1994 and 1996 is about 70%. 37 countries had a higher turnout and 35 a lower turnout, so the U.S. is approximately average.