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Exercises and worksheets for highschool students.

New Zealand curriculum framework

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Worksheet contents

How to participate

Worksheet 11: Voting procedure

Comparing different types of voting procedures

  1. How you can influence policy on issues that affect you – by voting:
    • For your representative on the School Council;
    • By becoming informed about the Electoral process and the need to be 'informed and responsible participants'.

Voting procedure: the secret ballot

Class activity

Get from your local Post Shop an electoral enrolment form. Discuss who can vote in the national elections. Outline the voting procedure under MMP.

Make a class enrolment card for a mock school election (adapt from the official one) and ask students to complete it.

Group activity

Divide into four groups and carry out different tasks

  1. Take enrolment cards and make up an electorate list e.g. name, address, date of birth, class, etc. of those in class.
  2. Set up a voting card – with names of candidates standing and clear instructions as to how to vote (e.g: tick, cross, line through name, etc).
  3. Set up voting booth with table electoral officer and class list. Remember that it is a secret vote, but that everyone must check that their name is on the roll before they can vote.
  4. Those standing for office prepare posters, pamphlets, etc.

Role-playing

Hold a class election.

Using the class roll, and with students presenting 'enrolment cards' to be checked against it, students are given a voting card, make their vote, and place it in a ballot box.

The 'electorate officer' (the teacher?) counts the votes and announces the result.

Homework

For further reference
See also:

Electing Parliament

Write up a report for School Council, and school magazine.

  • Do you use different styles of writing for these?
  • What are they?
  • Who can vote in School Council elections?
  • Given what you have learned from your class election, do you feel more confident about voting for your school representative on the School Council?

 

 

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