How Does Voting Work in Australia? 

By the time they reach upper-primary school, most children are aware of the fact that, from time to time, the adults in their lives vote in elections. But do they understand how this voting system works, or how candidates become elected representatives of the people? Probably not!

Australia’s system of voting can seem rather complicated to the untrained observer! However; once explained, the system of how we elect candidates to the House of Representatives in our federal parliament is not as confusing as it seems!

A Matching Game for Australian Voting

This hands-on matching activity has been designed to support your students in understanding the key vocabulary related to Australia’s system of voting. It contains 18 vocabulary cards and 18 definition cards.

The following terms are included in the resource: 

ballot box, electorate, The Act, absolute majority, ballot, opposition, constitution, independents, Australian Electoral Commission, marginal seat, compulsory voting, democracy, donkey vote, electors, election, parliament, poll, candidate.

An answer key is also provided in the download.

How to Play Australian Voting Match-Up 

Follow the instructions below to use this versatile Civics resource in your classroom. 

1. Print and cut out the cards. Cardboard is recommended.
2. Place the cards face down on a flat surface.
3. Take turns turning over two cards at a time. If the cards match, the player keeps the pair and takes another turn. If the cards do not match, the next player takes their turn.
4. Play continues until there are no cards left. The player with the most matches at the end of the game is the winner!

Tips for Extension and Scaffolding

Catering for a diverse range of learners in your classroom? We hear you! Check out these great ideas to maximise the impact of this activity for learners of all abilities:

• Challenge High-Flying Students: Once they have completed the activity, challenge your more capable students to write sentences that include a selection of the vocabulary words from the match-up game. This task will demonstrate whether the students are capable of using these words correctly in context.
• Support Less-Confident Students: Allow less-confident students to access a glossary of terms (such as that available on the Australian Electoral Commission website) so they can look up unfamiliar terms while completing the activity. In order to avoid overwhelm, reduce the number of cards to be matched.

It’s As Easy As Download, Print, Teach!

Use the dropdown arrow on the Download button to select between the quick-print PDF or the editable Google Slides version of this resource.

As this resource contains a title page and an answer sheet, we recommended printing one copy of the resource, removing the title and answer page, then making copies as required.

This resource was created by Amy Adam, a Teach Starter collaborator.

Looking for more resources to support your Australian government studies? We have more great options just one click away!

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