Kids
 
  •             
  • Classroom Store Store
  •              
  • Search site:
  •   
  •   
Writing Pals Online

 

Tell a friend   Print   Feedback!

Activities and Resources

Activities

Face-Off

 

As Election Day nears, news commentators tend to zero in on the battleground states. In a close election, one state can decide who wins the presidency. George W. Bush learned that firsthand in 2000, when his 537-vote victory in Florida provided just enough electoral votes for Bush to defeat Democrat Al Gore in the race for the White House.

Technology has made it easy to see how a candidate’s victory in one populous state, such as Pennsylvania, Ohio or Florida, could change the balance of electoral votes. Have students use the interactive electoral vote map at electionreferee.com to try different scenarios. For example, what would be the impact on the race if McCain won every western state and Obama won every eastern state? Have students manipulate the map to figure out the fewest number of states a candidate needs to win and what those states are.

 

Looking for Smart Stuff? Click here to download Issue 7's edition (PDF).

Answers to the Issue 7 SmartStuff are listed on Page 2 of the Issue 7 Teacher's Guide that accompanies Current Events magazine.

 

Resources

 

FACE-OFF:

• Students can use the electoral vote map at electionreferee.com to track how their state and other states voted in the past five presidential elections.

• Follow the Gallup Poll’s daily surveys at www.gallup.com/poll/election2008.aspx.

• Look up voting information about your state: http://www.nonprofitvote.org.

• Check the candidates' Web sites. John McCain: www.johnmccain.com. Barack Obama: www.barackobama.com.

TOO YOUNG TO VOTE?:

• Pollster.com shows the changing percentages of people who voted by age in 2000 and 2004.

• See a graph showing the history of youth voting at CivicYouth.org.

• Read the 26th amendment.

Back