The Topic: Elections Easier - An election is when something is decided or someone is chosen for an office or position by voting.   Harder - Elections are the process where people vote for the candidate or proposal of their choice. The right of the people to choose the government officials who represent and govern them is the basis of democratic government. Therefore elections are an important political activity of citizens. Elections are also the means of peacefully transferring power from one person or group to another.   In addition to public elections, many non governmental groups such as labor unions, social clubs, and student bodies hold their own elections to choose officials and officers.   Elections U.S.A. http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/6228/ This nonpartisan site brings you the latest news from the campaign trails. Other Related Elections Websites: 2) All Politics.com at CNN http://www.politics1.com/p2000.htm 3) Election 2004 at C-Span http://www.c-span.org/campaign2000/ 4) D.C.'s Political Report http://www.DCPoliticalReport.com/ 5) GoVote.com http://www.govote.com/ 6) Green Papers: Election USA 2004 http://www.thegreenpapers.com/ 7) Issues 2004 http://www.issues2000.org/ 8) Politics.com http://www.politics.com/ 9) Presidency 2004 http://www.politics1.com/p2000.htm 10) Votenet http://www.votenet.com/ 11) Youth04: Transferring the role of 18-25 yr. olds http://www.yvote2000.com/   Election Process at Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids http://bensguide.gpo.gov/6-8/election/index.html These pages explain the election process for Federal officials. Information about specific candidates and their campaigns or political parties and their platforms will not be found here.    Kids Voting USA http://kidsvotingusa.org/ This is the website of a nonprofit, nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to securing democracy for the future by involving youth in the election process today. Related Website: 2) Youth-e-Vote http://www.youthevote.net/   Smart Voter by the League of Women Voters http://www.smartvoter.org/ At this site you find information on registering to vote, voting, candidates, and more.   After visiting several of the websites, complete one or more of the following activities.   Practice Your Political Oration! Go to Could You Be a Politician? and practice your delivery of a political speech. Do your best as you pretend you are the President of the United States addressing the Joint Session of Congress on health care reform   Complete an Elections WebQuest. Adapt or follow the procedures found at one of these webQuest sites. 1) Candidate by Ron Bustamante (Grade 8) http://www.teachtheteachers.org/projects/RBustamante/index.htm 2) Election 2004: Campaign Advertising http://www.cyberbee.com/election/campgn.html 3) Election Co-nection (Grades 4-8) http://exchange.co-nect.net/Teleprojects/project/Election 4) Presidential Campaigning: Past and Present by Kathie A. Scheidler (Grade 9-12) http://www.plainfield.k12.in.us/hschool/webq/webq67/#Introduction   Have a Mock Election. For starters, visit sites like More than Mock Elections, National Mock Election 2004, and Mock Presidential Election .Then organize your own mock election. Share the results.   Design A Campaign Poster. Create a campaign poster that supports your favorite candidate. Include an original campaign slogan. This can be for a local, state, or national election.   Identify the Issues. Brainstorm the issues that you are concerned about in the election. Pick two political parties, visit there websites, and then compare and contrast their stands on these issues. Next, hold your own debate taking one side or the other.   Draw an Original Political Cartoon. Look at some examples of political cartoons; then create your own.    Party Sites Democratic National Committee http://www.democrats.org/index.html Green Party USA http://www.greenparty.org/ Republican National Committee http://www.rnc.org/ Reform Party http://www.reformparty.org/ Libertarian Party http://www.lp.org/   Lots More Sites American Presidency at Grolier Online http://gi.grolier.com/presidents/ea/help/eahelp.html This site, an Encyclopedia Americana section of Grolier Online, is a study of the most powerful elected office in the world.   Democracy Project http://www.pbs.org/30secondcandidate/ Here you learn about the history of the political commercial, follow the development of a 'spot' commercial, learn some of the tricks of the trade, and more.   Election 2004: Web Resources for Teachers from Better World Links http://www.ncss.org/election2000/ On this page, you'll find a sampling of web sites to help students keep informed on the upcoming Presidential election.   Elections Around the World http://www.agora.stm.it/elections/election.htm This site, a database on elections, parties and parliaments, contains basic information about recent elections in each respective country and/or state. Related Websites: 2) Election Resources on the Internet by Manuel Álvarez-Rivera http://electionresources.org/ 3) International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) http://www.ifes.org/   Elections Canada On-Line http://www.elections.ca/home_e.html This website publishes financial reports that detail contributions and expenses of candidates and links to other Canadian elections resources. Related Websites: 2) Elections by Nelson Thomson Learning http://polisci.nelson.com/elections.html 3) History of the Vote in Canada http://www.civilization.ca/membrs/canhist/elections/el_001_e.html 4) Political Parties and Elections (Links-site) http://www.sfu.ca/~aheard/c_parties.html    Federal Election Commission (United States of America) http://www.fec.gov/ The duties of the FEC, created in 1975, which is an independent regulatory agency, are to disclose campaign finance information, to enforce the provisions of the law such as the limits and prohibitions on contributions, and to oversee the public funding of Presidential elections. Related Website: 2) FECInfo http://www.tray.com/   Freedom Channel http://www.FreedomChannel.com/ This website provides video-on-demand in American politics. It offers visitors views of candidates and issue groups. (Under construction as of 6/2004 )   GrassRoots.com http://www.grassroots.com/ This site of a political action network has information on the major public issues.   Media's Role in Political Campaigns by Stephen S. Gottlieb http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed346527.html  This brief article looks at the effect that the mass media have upon the presentation, and the outcome, of political campaigns. (ed 346527 92, ERIC Digest)   PoliSci.Com http://www.polisci.com/ This is the ultimate on-line resource for U.S. and international politics. (under construction as of 6/2004)   Project Vote Smart http://www.vote-smart.org/ This site has updated information on voter registration and state and national candidates. They claim to track the performance of 10,800 political leaders.    U.S. Electoral College (National Archives and Records Administration) http://www.nara.gov/fedreg/elctcoll/index.html#top Here you will find information on the Electoral College information and statistics on presidential elections, past and present: Related Website: 2) Electoral College http://www.fec.gov/pages/ecmenu2.htm   Vote for Me: Politics in America from the Public Broadcasting System http://www.pbs.org/weta/voteforme/home.htm This is a companion site to the television program. From local precincts to the White House, it's not "insider politics," but politics as a mirror that unflinchingly and entertainingly shows who we are as a country and a people.    Websites for Teachers Elections and Voting at PBS TeacherSource Mathline http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/mathline/concepts/electionsandvoting.shtm These four lesson activities contain more than meets the "aye" — explore different voting methods and investigate questions of fairness and validity.   Use Editorial Cartoons to Teach About Elections Past and Present at Education World http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr210.shtml This curriculum article advocates bringing the power of editorial cartoons -- the strength of their images and messages -- into your classroom! It includes links to online resources that promote higher order thinking activities through the use of editorial cartoons.   Elections Lessons by Linda C. Joseph http://www.cyberbee.com/election/election.html This site has a great collection of lessons about elections.    vote candidate incumbent campaign voter registration ballot issues polling place politics voting rights absentee voting caucus primary election voting machine challenger speeches ad lib public opinion polls Presidential debates grassroots John Kerry George Bush voting booth recount nomination running mate Democratic National Convention elect Republican National Convention contributions voter turnout vote tally voter fraud address handshake poll delegate Electoral College fundraising platform landslide election       Created by Annette Lamb and Larry Johnson, 8/00. Updated 6/04 by King family.