Passport to Democracy

Running the Election with Students

You will need:

Ballot box and voting compartment from the Passport to Democracy suitcase

Prepared ballot papersAn electoral roll (could use a class register)

and pen/ruler ‘ivote’ badges (could give these out as they

collect ballot paper) ‘Election official’ badges for officialsSigns/labels for each issue + informal

The Election This election will be

conducted using the preferential method of counting votes.

You will need 4 volunteers to act as election officials to:

- Mark each voter’s name off the roll

- Issue the ballot paper

- Control the queue

- Guard the ballot box

Setting up the space

Election officials sit here. They mark names off the roll and issue the ballot papers Voting compartment. Should

have attached pencil and be separate from other people in the room for privacy.

Ballot box. This should have an official to ‘guard’ it from tampering and to determine it is empty at the beginning of the election.

Students line up to vote

You have to put a number in every box.

Do not use ticks or crosses.

Voting in elections

3

24

1

Students cast their vote.

Election officials – Roll mark off and issuing of ballot papers

Voting compartment

Ballot box

Students line up to vote

1

2

3

Receive ballot paper

Number votes in order of preference

Fold paper and place in ballot box

When everyone has voted Put up labels that represent each candidate

or issue around the room.

Open the ballot box and give each student a random ballot paper to use in the physical count. They will now “represent” this ballot paper physically.

The physical count

Apple Pear Berry Banana Mango

Students group with ballot papers and get ready to count

Informal

For this example, student issue groups are represented by fruit names...

The physical count

Pear Berry Banana Mango

27 formal votes

Students line up at the fruit that was marked number 1 on their ballot paper.

Apple

The physical count

Apple Pear Berry Banana Mango

27 formal votes – need 14 to win.

No fruit has 14 votes.7 6 6

3

5

The physical count

Apple Pear Berry Banana Mango

27 formal votes – need 14 to win.

The fruit with the least number of votes is defeated.

7 6 6

3

5

The physical count

Apple Pear Mango

27 formal votes – need 14 to win.

7 6 6

3

5

These votes are now re distributed to the fruit marked no. 2 on the paper

Berry

The physical count

Apple Pear Berry Mango

27 formal votes – need 14 to win.

9 7 6

5

Still not enough for a winner!

Mango has the least votes, so is eliminated; students move to number closest to 1 on their ballot paper out of the remaining fruit.

The physical count

Apple Pear Berry

27 formal votes – need 14 to win.

13 8 6

So close! Still no absolute majority.

Now Berry is eliminated and students move to number closest to 1 out of Apple and Pear...

The physical count

Apple Pear

27 formal votes – need 14 to win.

14 ! 13

Apple is the preferred fruit and has won the election!!