November 4, 2016

THE BASICSTopic: Election Day

“Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their

blisters.”― Abraham Lincoln

Articles “Can’t vote/won’t vote: How turnout will decide the 2016 presidential election” (10/29) (The Guardian) “Hillary Clinton demands FBI give details on latest email inquiry ‘immediately’” (10/29) (The Guardian) “FBI rocks presidential race” (10/28) (The Hill) “Fears mount on Trump’s ‘rigged election’ rhetoric” (10/16) (Politico) “Over 1.5 Million Voters Have Now Been Cast in 2016 Presidential Election” (10/16) (NBC News) “Facebook Helped Drive a Voter Registration Surge, Election Officials Say” (10/12) (The NY Times) “Here’s how Nate Silver thinks the US election map would look if just men voted” (10/12) (Business

Insider) “We Gave Four Good Pollsters the Same Raw Data. They Had Four Different Results.” (9/20) (The

NY Times) “US election 2016: Welcome to America’s unpopularity contest” (9/17) (The Telegraph)

Questions to Consider What is the reason that national elections are held on the second Tuesday of November every

four years? Should Election Day be a national holiday? Why or why not? Is Election Day a celebration of our democracy? Does the percentage of voters who cast their

ballots on Election Day say something important about the health of our form of government? Which groups of voters actually vote? Should voting be mandatory?

What is the Electoral College and how does it influence the campaign?

Why are the specifics of elections decided by the states rather than the federal government? What is Citizens United and how does money affect the presidential campaign? How do the logistics of voting affect the turnout? Location of polling places, hours that polling

places are open, the design of the ballots, the weather, mail-in ballots, using clear language in the measures proposed, requiring identification in order to vote?

Is voting protected and encouraged in the United States? If so, how? If not, what are measures we could take to ensure that every citizen has the opportunity to vote?

How does media coverage affect voting and the declaring of winners? What is the impact of social media on the 2016 campaign?

Is this a non-traditional election? Is this an “unprecedented” election? Why or why not? Is this an election where voters make choices based on negatives rather than positives? Will the next election be influenced by questionable campaign behavior in 2016? Might voters demand a “respectable” election atmosphere?

What might the elections of the future look like? What improvements could be made to secure a safe and fair experience?

What do the election experiences of the past tell us about whether the 2016 election is unique or part of a historical pattern?

How accurate are the poll predictions about who will be elected president? What makes predictions difficult? Do polls influence voter decisions?

What influence does the presidential election have on down ballot offices such as governors, senators, and representatives?

Why are millennials (a person reaching young adulthood around the year 2000) alienated from the candidates and election itself? Is this election more problematic than earlier elections? Why or why not?

How do elections reflect “civic pride”? What is “early voting”? What is the impact of early voting on the campaign, on voter behavior, on

the ability to predict the outcome? Are early voters the key to the battleground states? Is this election a contest between “outsiders” and experienced leaders? Is lack of trust of

government a new issue or an ongoing issue? Is this a gender-based election where women and men are different constituencies? Does the candidacy of the first woman presidential contender impact the election? If so, how? What threat do hackers pose to the election? To voting in a democracy? How do voters interpret the Wikileaks information? Should this information appear in the

mainstream media? Why is civility a concern on the run up to Election Day? How does the way we express our ideas

affect the quality of our democracy? What would be the response to accusations of a “rigged” election?

What is an “October surprise”? How does the media deal with incomplete information and issues connected to the 2016 presidential election? What is the role of the FBI in investigating email?

What might be the effects of the election run up on the way the government functions after the election? What work do we need to do to restore civic virtue?

THE EXTRAPre-teaching, Extensions & Further Reading

“Rachel Maddow and Doris Kearns Goodwin on a Presidential Race for the History Books” (10/29) (The NY Times)

“Elections & Voting” (White House) “Designing a Better Ballot” (10/5) (The Atlantic) “How healthy is the U.S. voting system” (MIT) “Election 101: Why do we vote on a Tuesday in November?” (10/30/13) (HIstory) “US election: Where Clinton and Trump stand on key issues” (11/3) (BBC News)

Lesson Plans “Politics and Public Policy overview” (iCivics) “Presidential Election Process” (USA.gov) “Ten Ways to Teach About Election Day” (The Learning Network)

“Lesson Plan: Improving Elections in the United States” (PBS)

What’s the Connection? Constitutional

The Constitution (Article 2; 12th,14th, 15th, 19th, 20th, 22nd,23rd, 24th Amendments) (www.archives.gov) “Video: Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump and the Constitutional Stakes” (Constitution Center)

Oregon “Voting in Oregon” (Ballotpedia)

Students “National Student/Parent Mock Election” (National Mock Election) “Election Day Safety Fears See Schools Cancel Classes or Move Polling Places” (10/28) (NBC

News)

Oregon State Social Science Standards8.20. Analyze the changing definition of citizenship and the expansion of rights. 8.21. Analyze important political and ethical values such as freedom, democracy, equality and justice embodied in documents such as the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.8.26. Examine a controversial event, issue, or problem from more than one perspective. HS.31. Describe United States foreign policy and evaluate its impact on the United States on other countries. HS.33. Explain the role of government in various current events.HS.35. Examine the pluralistic realities of society (e.g., race, poverty, gender, and age), recognizing issues of equity, and evaluating need for change. HS.59. Demonstrate the skills and dispositions needed to be a critical consumer of information.HS.60. Analyze an event, issue, problem, or phenomenon from varied or opposing perspectives or points of view.

CCSS Anchor Standards2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.4. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.6. Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words. 8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

We the People Lesson ConnectionsMiddle School, Level 2

Unit 6, Lesson 28: What is the relationship of the United States to other nations of the world?

Unit 6, Lesson 29: What are the rights and responsibilities of citizenship?

High School, Level 3 Unit 6, Lesson 37: What key challenges does the United States face in the future? Unit 6, Lesson 38: What are the challenges of the participation of the United States in

world affairs?