Learn About Voting with a Class Election!

The right to vote is one of the cornerstones of Australia’s democracy. Our students need to understand what a great privilege and great responsibility this is!

One day, our students will have the opportunity to have their say in who runs our country. They need to be prepared… and that’s where you come in!

This set of templates has been designed to help you hold a mock election within your classroom. The download contains a set of five separate resources, as outlined below.

Class Election Candidate Poster

• Ask volunteers from the class to be candidates for the election. (Ensure there is a maximum of 6 and a minimum of 2 candidates).
• Take photos of the students and attach each photo to the candidate poster template. (Print off multiple copies if necessary).
• Decide on a date for the election and record it on the poster.
• Display the poster/s in the classroom so that students can see who their candidates are.

Class Election Interview Questions

• Print off a set of interview questions for each candidate.
• In front of the class, ask each candidate the questions and record their answers on the template.
• Display the posters in the classroom so that students can see each candidate’s response to the questions.

Class Election Campaign Poster

• Divide the class evenly into groups so that each candidate is represented by a group.
• In their group, ask the students to create a campaign slogan for their candidate.
• Provide each group with a copy of the campaign poster.
• Ask the students to record the name of their candidate, draw a picture to support the candidate’s campaign and record the campaign slogan.
• Display the posters in the classroom so that students can see each candidate’s campaign slogan.

Class Election Campaign Flyer

• Divide the class evenly into groups so that each candidate is represented by a group.
• Provide each group with a copy of the campaign flyer.
• In their group, ask the students to create a campaign flyer for their candidate, explaining who the candidate is and the policies they want to introduce if they were elected.
• Display the posters in the classroom so that students can read about each candidate and their policies.

Class Election Ballot Paper

• On Election Day, provide each student in the class with a ballot paper.
• Ask the students to record the names of the class candidates in an agreed order from 1 to 6. (Change the number according to your class).
• Students then number the boxes from 1 to 6 in the order of their choice of candidate.
• Collect and count the ballot papers to determine who ‘won’ the class election.

Multiple File Options for Your Convenience

This resource can be downloaded in four separate file options. These are:

• Full-colour PDF
• Black-and-white PDF
• Full-colour editable Google Slides
• Black-and-white editable Google Slides

Use the dropdown arrow next to the Download button to select your preferred file format.

Looking for more resources to complement your teaching of elections and voting in Australia? Click on the options below!

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Member of Parliament - Fakebook Template

Get to know the current sitting members of the Australian Parliament with this Fakebook profile template.

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The Election Cycle - Poster

Explore the Australian election cycle with this informative classroom poster.

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Voting in Australia — Matching Activity

Learn key vocabulary terms related to Australia’s system of voting with this set of hands-on match-up cards.