Resources to Teach About Elections & Democracy

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Curated by Nikki Bambauer

The 2020 election is only weeks away. It is a great time to engage students in lessons about voting and democracy. Check out these enriching resources to use with your class: 

Illustration of people voting or encouraging voting (via Freepik)

Illustration of people voting or encouraging voting (via Freepik)

  • The Voting Rights Act & Voter Suppression in the U.S.  |  Woven Teaching
    A two-page handout explaining the 1965 Voting Rights Act and the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2013 Shelby County v. Holder decision, which largely dismantled it.

  • Expanding Voting Rights  |  Teaching Tolerance
    This series of five lessons details the complicated process of expanding of voting rights over the course of U.S. history. It draws on both primary and secondary sources.

  • 9 Way to Teach About the Election: A Social Justice Approach  |  Anti-Defamation League
    A list of ideas for teaching about the election, including analyses of party platforms and political advertisements.

  • Suppressed 2020: The Fight to Vote  |  Directed by Robert Greenwald, Brave New Films
    A 40-minute documentary detailing widespread voter suppression efforts during the 2018 midterm election in Georgia. The film also covers instances of suppression during the 2020 primary elections.

  • Decode the Electoral College and predict the next president  |  PBS NewsHour
    Students will learn about the role the Electoral College plays in U.S. presidential elections. In this activity, they will also make predictions about the 2020 election.

  • Repairing the Fabric of Democracy  |  Global Oneness Project
    Lesson in which students explore the meaning of democracy, its foundations, and many of the ways it operates in modern life.

What resources about elections and democracy have you been using with your classes? Let us know in the comments!