There’s Going To Be An Election

This Civics and Citizenship classroom activity can help students develop their knowledge and understanding about the importance of elections in their democracy, and the ways in which their vote contributes to that democracy.

It is aligned particularly with the Year 5 Civics and Citizenship content of the Australian Curriculum:

The key values and features of Australia’s democracy, including elections, and the roles and responsibilities of elected representatives AC9HS5K06

It is also an appropriate activity for use in an election year with all students from Years 5 to 10.

The activity occupies about 80 minutes of class time. It could be divided into a set of short activities spread over a number of days in the lead-up to the election.

It includes in-class and at-home activities, and involves students in reading, research and engaging with the local community.

The unit will help students develop:

• Their knowledge of what a Commonwealth election involves,
• The nature of representative democracy that an election embodies,
• The way in which the franchise has been extended over time,
• Key features of our voting system such as the secret ballot, compulsory voting and the independent supervision of the Australian Electoral Office, and
• The two different ways of using preferential voting that exist for electing members of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

They will identify where the election process is visible in their own community and in their own lives.

They will also identify the rights and responsibilities associated with voting, and the way in which it is a significant element of good citizenship.

Key References:

For all aspects of voting and elections see the Australian Electoral Commission website www.aec.gov.au. The site includes guidance on how to organise mock elections, including a ballot generator at https://getvoting.aec.gov.au/ballotpaper.