Let's Vote!

• Instructional Objectives: To gain an experience with regards to actual voting.
• Time Required: one to three hours
• Advance Preparation:  Students should bring in their research on the candidates. You may want to have each candidates web page already loaded onto a  computer. You should have a list with each students name and a line for them to sign.  Actual ballots have to be ready. You may design your own or use our Election Ballot . A box must be setup with a slot to fit in the votes. There should be a designated place in the class where the ballots will be placed. You may want to have a sign that BALLOTS PLACED HERE above the ballot box. Test the projector setup and make sure everything works before class arrives.
• Materials / Resources Required: Microsoft Excel,  paper ballots, box for votes, computer connected to a projector or tvator with a  television, screen or a whiteboard or clear surface to project to.
• Vocabulary: tally
• Procedures:   :  Students must take out their information on each candidate or go over each candidates web page to create a Venn Diagram on the main candidates for the Democratic, Republican and Independent* parties.*This is if candidate is different from one of the two major parties. Students should be given 10 to 15 minutes for this activity.  Teacher should create a giant Venn diagram on the board with all the candidates and fill it in with student research. A brief discussion should be held to review each candidate before the actual vote. Once the discussion is held and any student questions answered, all information must be erased from the board. Students are each given one vote. Students are to sign next to their name before placing their vote in the slot. After all students have voted, the votes are tallied on an Excel spreadsheet set up this way.

*Cand.3 is optional or may be omitted if the independent candidate is the same as one of the two major party candidates. Tot1 = total votes for candidate1, Tot2 = total votes for candidate2, Tot3 = total votes for candidate3, TotM = total male votes, TotF = total female votes, Tot11 = total 11 year old student votes, Tot12 = total 12 year old student votes, Tot13 = total 13 year old student votes, Tot14 = total 14 year old student votes. You may modify this chart according to the number of students and the different ages you have in the class. TotStu= total amount of students in the class, TotGen=total amount of males and females in the class and TotAge=total amount of different aged students in the class. Row 33 contains the formulas for each percentage. (Right-click and Save file  ElectionSheet to look at  an example.) TotStu,TotGen and TotAge must all be equal. If there is a difference, you must recount the votes.

• Activities: 
  • Using the projector,  you must create the first graph with the class.

  1) Select the titles Tot1 through Tot3 and their data.

   2) Click on the Chart Wizard icon, (column and the first graph on the top left hand corner should be selected), click next

  3) On the Data range tab, select Columns in the Series In: box, then click next

  4) Click on the Titles tab and write Councilman Election 2001 or whatever election you are covering, on the X-axis, write Candidates, on the Y-axis, write Votes, then click next

  5) In the Chart Location box, select the option that says As new sheet and name it Candidates Column Graph

  6) Click finish

  7) On the new sheet, select Insert-> Picture-> WordArt, select the font size 24, and write the name of Candidate 1,

  8) Repeat step 7) for each of the remaining candidates.

  9) Name and Save your Excel Spreadsheet

Return to Main Menu