Election Day in the United States has been the first Tuesday of November for almost 300 years now. Tuesday was chosen as not to interfere with religious ceremonies of many faiths that usually occur on Sundays. Even though you can be elected at the age of 35, John F Kennedy was the youngest to ever be elected at the age of 43. Interesting fact, the State of Ohio has recorded the vote of every President since 1944. Until 1856 you needed to be a property owner in order to run for the office of the President of the United States. George Washington was the only President to ever win 100% of the vote. I guess it helped that he ran unopposed. The worksheets below look at all forms of the democratic process of elections including political party systems and the campaign process.
Print United States Elections Worksheets
Click the buttons to print each worksheet and associated answer key.
How Votes Are Counted Reading Worksheet
There are several ways that citizens can vote. The traditional method of voting is to cast a ballot in person at a polling place. Polling place what an official voting location is called. Voters used to mark a paper ballot with their vote and election officials counted the ballots by hand.
How Votes Are Counted Questions
The vote count in a Presidential Election is certified at what level?
Vote Counting Short Answer Questions
The election results indicate that 131.2 million Americans voted in the 2008 presidential election. This was approximately 63% of the eligible voters. How many Americans were eligible to vote in the election?
What Are Primaries and Caucuses?
There are two major political parties in the United States: the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. Sometimes people run as independents, not belonging to any party, or as third-party candidates representing some new party that's trying to form but almost all elected officials, especially in the federal government, belong to one of the two major parties.
Short Answer Questions
Democrats and Republicans hold primaries to help determine their presidential candidate. Do some research to find out how third parties select a candidate.
What Is Super Tuesday?
As many as 10 or 12 qualified potential presidential candidates will seek to become the Democratic or Republican presidential nominee and actually run for President of the United States. At one time in history delegates to the Democratic or Republican National Convention selected their nominee at the time of the convention.
Short Answer Questions
Describe how the Democratic and Republican political parties narrow the group of potential candidates who want to run for president down to the one nominee.
What Are Political Parties?
Party is one of many English words that has multiple meanings. Most of us think of a party as a gathering of people who want to celebrate and have fun, like at a birthday party.
Short Answer Questions
Are people who belong to a political party required to vote for each of the candidates that the party nominates to run in the election? Explain why or why not.
The Democratic Party
The Democratic Party traces its roots to the founders of the United States of America. Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and others founded the party in 1792.
Short Answer Questions
The original name for the Democratic Party was the Democratic-Republican Party. When did the name change and why?
The Republican Party
The Republican Party had its first formal meeting on July 6, 1854 in Jackson, Michigan. The founders of the Republican Party were against slavery and believed that the government should give public land in the West to settlers for free.
Short Answer Questions
What is the relationship between the Democratic-Republican Party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison and the Republican Party?
The Campaign Process
Place the following steps of political campaigning in the right order. Then, give details to explain how to do each step.
Presidential Elections Special Circumstances
What happens if a new president isn't chosen by the inauguration?
Election Review
Unscramble and define the following words related to the US presidential election process.
The Electoral College Worksheet
You've been asked to write a newspaper article about the Electoral College. Use this Planning sheet to help organize your facts about the topic.
Congress and the Election Process
Fill in the Venn Diagram to show how the Senate and House of Representatives differ in the election process.
Primary Elections
The winners of the primary elections for each political party will be the ones who do what?
Why It Is Important to Vote?
It is easy to see that well over 100 years ago American citizens were promoting the importance of voting. The American way of life depends upon democracy and a basic principle of democracy is that every citizen is allowed to participate in how the country and the government are run.
Multiple Choice Questions
Voting is the key to maintaining American freedoms and American society yet American people are ignoring their right and duty to vote. About 60% of the total registered voters voted in the 1960 Presidential Election, less than 40% in the 1996 election and about 63% in the historic 2008 election.
Short Answer Questions
China is still considered to be a Communist country. Do some research and write a short report about the Tiananmen Square Protests of 1989 that occurred in China.
Why and How Do You Register to Vote?
These are simple rules but if everyone had to prove that they were eligible to vote when they arrived at the polling place (the location for voting), the voting process would be very complicated and slow.
Register to Vote Multiple Choice Questions
To be eligible to vote how old must the voter be at the time of the election?
Short Answer Questions
A 21 year-old student from China is attending a U.S. university and plans to return home after graduation. Is this student eligible to vote for president of the United States? Explain your answer.
Why Elections Matter
As the old saying goes, if you don’t vote, you can’t complain. While this adage may seem cynical, it holds true in modern American politics.
Elections matter because voting is how citizens hold politicians accountable, participate in our democratic government, and influence how our country will change in the future.
In this article, I will explain why elections and voting matter in the United States. I’ll help you understand why elections matter for all people in the USA, including students and teachers. Some issues might not affect your life now but will someday — such as education reform and the future of our country.
Why Politics Matter
It’s easy to feel like politics don’t matter, especially when the system seems broken. However, the truth is that politics affect us all in real ways.
Politics shape our laws, our economy, and our society. They determine who has power and who doesn’t. That’s why it’s so important that we all participate in the political process. The single most important thing we can do to put a voice to our thoughts and influence national policy is vote.
Our nation’s founders believed active and engaged citizens were critical to our country’s success. As Thomas Jefferson put it, the condition on which God gave man liberty is eternal vigilance. That vigilance is up to all of us.
Why Voting Matters, Even When There Isn’t Much Choice in Candidates
Unfortunately, people often take their voting rights for granted and disregard them, only voting when they feel directly affected by the outcome of an election or when something genuinely affects their lives on a day-to-day basis.
However, voting is essential for several reasons:
- First, it is a way to hold politicians accountable. We can vote them out of office if we don’t like how they do their job.
- Second, voting is a way to voice our opinion on the issues that matter to us. Politicians are more likely to listen to us if we make our voices heard at the polls.
- Third, voting is a way of participating in our democracy. The more people who vote, the stronger our democracy will be.
- Finally, voting is a way of setting the tone for the future. If we want our children and grandchildren to live in a democracy, we need to participate in it ourselves.
The Importance of Elections for Teachers and Students
In a democracy, elections allow citizens to have a say in who governs them. They also offer a chance to hold elected officials accountable for their performance. For these reasons, teachers and students must understand why elections matter.
Teachers play a role in elections by educating students about issues, encouraging them to register to vote, and keeping them engaged throughout the election season. Teachers should promote voting as a responsibility of citizenship, teach lessons on how our government is set up and guide student conversations about the importance of voting.
How the Current Political Climate Affects You, Your School, and Students
The current political climate in the United States is affecting American schools and students in several ways. The most obvious way is through the policies enacted by the administration, which are having an impact on everything from school funding to immigration.
In addition, the divisive nature of our politics is leading to more bullying and harassment of students based on their political beliefs. Finally, this impacts how well students can focus on learning in school.
All these factors make it clear that elections matter and everyone should do their part to ensure that our schools and students get the best possible outcome.
Final Thoughts
Voting is a fundamental part of our democracy, and everyone needs to exercise their right to vote. It’s not about which candidate you choose but that you get out there and make your voice heard. You may think your one vote doesn’t matter, but together we can create change in this country that will be felt by generations to come.