Introduction to US Elections

The word democracy comes from the Greek language; in Greek, demos means "people" and kratos mean "power." In a democracy, the power of the government is in the hands of its people.

The United States is a representative democracy, a country in which the adult citizens of the country vote to elect the country's leaders. These elected leaders make the governmental decisions. The leaders serve in office for a specific amount of time, called a term of office. Elected government officials include the president, US senators, US representatives, state senators, state representatives, state governors, city mayors, school board members, and many others.

Most US elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday each November. Polling places (the locations where people vote) include schools, post offices, community centers, and other public places. Every four years, US voters elect the President of the United States.

Election Worksheets and Activities

Classroom Election Activity You can have a classroom election to decide an issue that your students care about (recess, snacks, a classroom activity...) or have a mock-presidential election. Your election can include disccussing the issues, registering voters, voting in a voting area by secret ballot, counting and tallying the votes, and putting the election results into effect. What issues do you care about?	VOTE Acrostic Poem Write a poem about voting. Start each line with a letter from the word "VOTE."	Write Eight Election Words Think of and write eight election words. Then, for each word, write a sentence containing that word. Sample answers: vote, elect, campaign, candidate, primary, caucus, Democrat, Republican.	Election Cloze Activity Learn all about US elections by doing a fill-in-the-blank printout. Or go to the answers.
Two Candidate Venn Diagram Compare and contrast two candidates running for office in this Venn diagram printout.	Electing the US President Printable Book A short, printable book about how the US President is elected. Page headings include: Representative Democracy, Issues You Care About, Political Parties, Primary Elections, Political Conventions, Registering to Vote, How to Vote, Who Wins? (the Electoral College), and The Presidential Term.	Election Quiz Worksheet Answer 10 questions about the US Presidential election. Or go to the answers	Political Party Platforms Worksheet Compare the platforms of the political parties, noting their stances on issues such as taxes, national defense, education, health care, social security, the environment, immigration, etc. You can use the political party's websites to determine their platforms. Go to a pdf version of the worksheet.
Two-Candidate Grid Worksheet Each candidate for office has a set of stances on issues that affect our lives, including energy, national defense, education, taxes, health care, social security, the environment, immigration, and many other issues. Compare the stances of the candidates on these issues along with the candidates' achievements and qualifications. What issues do you care about? You can use the candidates' websites to determine their stances and achievements. Go to a pdf version of the worksheet.	Three-Candidate Grid Worksheet Each candidate for office has a set of stances on issues that affect our lives, including energy, national defense, education, taxes, health care, social security, the environment, immigration, and many other issues. Compare the stances of the candidates on these issues along with the candidates' achievements and qualifications. What issues do you care about? You can use the candidates' websites to determine their stances and achievements. Go to a pdf version of the worksheet.	Election Issues Essay Topic What do you think are the most important issues in this election (and why)?	Presidential Qualities Essay Topic What do you think are the most important qualities a president should have (and why)?
If I Were the President Essay Topic Write a page on what you'd do if you were the President. How would you change the world?	Electoral College Map Activity Answer the questions and follow the instructions to color the US electoral college map.	Electoral College Coloring Map After the US presidential election, color the US states on the map: red for states that vote Republican, blue for states that vote Democratic. Then tally the electoral votes for each party - 270 votes are needed to become US President.	Large Electoral College Coloring Map This is a larger version of our Electoral College Coloring Map. After the US presidential election, color the US states on the map: red for states that vote Republican, blue for states that vote Democratic. This can be a standalone activity, or you can use the map as a larger, easier-to-color picture for our other electoral college worksheets, the Electoral College Coloring Map and the Electoral College Map Activity.
Find an Election Word for Each Letter See if you can think of and write down an election word for each letter of the alphabet. Or go to a sample answer page.	Presidential Biography Report Write a paper about a US President, writing about the President's early life, the presidency, and the post-presidency. Or go to the grading rubric.	Match the Syllables: Election Words Match two syllables to make 10 election words. The words are elect, voting, campaign, platform, ballot, tally, recount, office, winner, loser. Or go to the answers.	Election Wordsearch Puzzle Find the words in the election wordsearch puzzle, then use the extra letters to find the secret message: "In the USA, we vote on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November." Or go to the answers.
Election: Spelling Word Questions Use the list of election spelling words to answer simple questions. Words: election, candidate, vote, campaign, November, tally, parties, citizen, choices, issues. Or go to the answers.	Put 10 Election Words in Alphabetical Order - Worksheet Put 10 Election words in alphabetical order. The words are: election, candidate, voter, primary, choose, platform, recount, caucus, issues, tally. Go to the answers.	Write a Sentence for Each Election-Related Word Write a sentence for each election-related spelling word. Words: November, vote, election, elect, campaign, ballot, stance, winner, tally, recount.	Presidential Election Alphabet Code Use the alphabet code to find the message about US Presidential elections. Answer: "In the USA we vote for President every four years."
US Election Alphabet Code Use the alphabet code to find the secret message about US elections. Answer: "US elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November."	Vote in November: Word Hunt Worksheet How many words can you make using the letters from "Vote in November"? Sample answers: never, mention, bovine, ... Go to worksheet with 30 blanks or a worksheet with 50 blanks.	Election Words Grammar Potpourri Worksheet Find synonyms, antonyms, homonyms, an anagram, and a compound word, then capitalize, punctuate, and correct the spelling of sentences. Or go to the answers.	The Census A census is an official count of the number of people in a region. The survey is done by a government, usually periodically. The population figures from the census are used to determine how many members of the US House of Representatives represent an area, and to allocate federal funding for local programs.

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