Mini-Lesson

The Right to Vote

Grades 2-3

1. Write the phrase "The Right to Vote" on the board. Tell students that you are going to give them a pop quiz about voting. Have students answer true or false to the following questions:

Anyone can vote. (false; The United States Constitution has specific rules about who is allowed to vote.)

You have to be 18 or older to vote. (true; An amendment to the Constitution lowered the voting age in 1971 from 21 to 18.)

You do not have to be a citizen to vote in the U.S. (false)

African-Americans and women have not always had the right to vote in the U.S. (true; African-American men did not gain the right to vote until 1870. All women gained the right to vote in 1920.)

2. Tell students that in United States presidential elections are always held the first Tuesday in November. But in many parts of the country people are allowed to vote before that. Have students read the timeforkids.com news article A Head Start to learn about early voting. Read the article as a class or have students read it independently.

3. Start a discussion. Ask: Why might a person choose to vote before Election Day? Have students point out specific examples in the timeforkids.com article. Some people choose not to vote. What do you think their reasons might be for not voting? What might you say to people to convince them to exercise their right to vote?

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:

Have students complete the TIME FOR KIDS worksheet Class Vote.

Have students make flyers to encourage people to vote. On the flyer, give at least one reason why it's important to vote. Include a picture of an American symbol such as the flag or the Statue of Liberty.

RESOURCES:

Eyewitness Books: Vote by Philip Steele (DK Publishing, 2008). This nonfiction title provides a comprehensive look at the U.S. voting process, its history and how voting works in other countries.

Vote! by Eileen Christelow (Sandpiper, 2008). This fictional take on a mayoral election introduces readers to the voting process.

Elizabeth Leads the Way: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Right to Vote by Tanya Lee Stone; illus. by Rebecca Gibbon (Henry Holt and Co., 2008). A true story about the fight for women's suffrage.