Subunit 2 - Summative Assessment - Presidential Election Project

"Politics is not just about power and money games, politics can be about the improvement of people's lives, about lessening human suffering in our world and bringing about more peace and more justice."

- Paul Wellstone

The best way to learn civics is to practice civics. In this summative assessment, you are going to work with your peers on an election project by completing the steps below. Here is a rubric to help you prepare your project.

Note: Should the project below prove to difficult to manage, iCivics has a tremendous game that you can utilize for the students to play and try to win the White House. In the simulation they will be asked to run a campaign much in the same way as you will find below. It is another option for you to utilize; however, the option below will be the most inclusive for your classroom of students.

Step 1. Party Formation - 1/2 class period

Get into groups of 4-5 students and form a political party. The political leanings of your group do not matter as your group will create its own political identity. Have a general discussion as a group and write down initial ideas your group has concerning these issues:

For online only students - instructor will need to group the students and have the students create a shared Google Doc to create their party platform.

Step 2. Platform Research - 1/2 class period

Research past political party platforms to get a sense for how a political party in existence approaches the issues above. Use the websites below to help in your research:

Step 3. Platform Creation & Candidate Selection - 1 class period

Choose a party name for your party and create a party platform that your group can agree to. Upload the completed platform.

Choose a person from your party to be the presidential candidate:

For online only students, each party must submit the name of their parties candidate via the online course platform so all members of the course can view.

Step 4. Campaign - ongoing, may need 1 class period

Begin campaigning for your candidate. At a minimum you must:

Online only students should also complete a flyer or poster and submit digitally to the course platform for all students to view. A commercial should also be created and shared on the course platform.

Step 5. Debate - 1 class period to prep, 1 class period to debate

The presidential candidate from your party will compete in a debate against the other presidential candidates in your class. The debate will focus on the issues present in the platform. Help prepare your candidate by having discussions and ensuring their views are as well rounded as possible and your candidate makes a strong case for electing your party to power. The debate should take about one class period.

Online only students that are candidates will participate in a debate via Google Hangouts and moderated by their instructor. The instructor will provide the link to the Google Hangout for all candidates. The instructor will archive the Google Hangout debate and make it available to all students via the course platform.

Step 6 - What type of voting method? 1/2 class period

In Unit 3 you learned about plurality & Instant Runoff Voting. Have a short class discussion and ultimately take a majority rules vote on how a winner will be determined - plurality, or Instant Runoff.

Online only students will submit a message or email to the instructor designating which voting method they prefer. The instructor will announce the voting method on the course online platform.

Step 6. Vote - 1/2 class period

Ballots will be distributed and your class will vote in the manner you decided on, plurality or Instant Runoff. See sample ballots below.

Step 7. Rubric Consultation - ongoing

A rubric is available to consult as you complete this project. Successfully adhering to the rubric will ensure the best experience in this active opportunity to participate in the election process.

Plurality Ballot

Vote for 1 candidate by filling in the oval next to your preferred candidate

 John Smith, Republican

 Jared Smith, Democrat

 Jesse Smith, Independent

 Frank Smith, Green

 Sarah Smith, Power Party

 Sue Smith, Social Democrats

Instant Runoff Ballot

Vote for your first choice candidate by filling in the oval corresponding to the candidate that is your first choice. Vote for your second choice candidate by filling in the oval corresponding to the candidate that is your second choice. Vote for your third choice candidate by filling in the oval corresponding to the candidate that is your third choice. You may only vote for each candidate once. Your second and potentially third choice candidates will only be used should your first choice candidate not reach a threshold of the first place votes.

                                                Choice 1                Choice 2                Choice 3

John Smith, Republican                                                        

Jared Smith, Democrat                                                        

Jesse Smith, Independent                                                        

Frank Smith, Green                                                                

Sarah Smith, Power Party                                                        

Sue Smith, Social Democrats