Big Idea:Informed participation in local government both stimulates and upholds the principles of democracy.

Essential Question: What are the characteristics of an informed Canadian citizen participating in a municipal election or school board election?

Why Vote? Voter Turnout & Our Right and Responsibility to VoteElections enable all citizens to have a voice in the values and actions that will shape their community’s future.

Hook 5-10 min.Watch a video clip from The Rick Mercer Report: “Rick’s Rant – Voting 101.” As a class, create an outline detailing the important points of the video clip.

Essential Learning 20-40 min.1. The video clip focuses on voting in elections. As a class, define the term “election” and give

examples of elections in which you have participated, the outcomes of these elections, and your perceptions of these experiences. Identify the date and type of upcoming elections in your community.

2. Using Handouts 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3, work in pairs to justify why voting should be considered both a right and a responsibility for Canadians. Share your conclusions with the class.

3. The video clip questions politicians’ consideration of students during election campaigns. Using Handouts 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, and websites suggested by your teacher, summarize how students can have a voice in your community. Share your conclusions with the class.

4. From this set of activities, review what you have discussed and learned about the importance of participating in elections.

Extended Learning 25-45 min. Option A: Begin the construction of a portfolio in which assignments, news articles, campaign information, and reflections can be kept to demonstrate your knowledge and thoughts about democracy and about the upcoming municipal and school board elections. Consider whether your portfolio will be in physical or digital format.

Option B:Brainstorm characteristics of an effective democracy, and use these characteristics to arrange a series of images that depict effective democracy in a community. Add captions to explain how effective democracy is being represented in each image. Consider composing your own images, collecting images from print media, or creating a digital gallery using Flickr.

Option C:Brainstorm qualities of a healthy democracy, and use these characteristics to explain what a healthy democracy looks like. Consider framing your explanation as a dramatic presentation, essay, news article, oral presentation, poster, or in another manner approved by your teacher.

Option D: Writing from the point of view of a teacher, mayor, or school board trustee addressing parents at your school, compose a letter or speech explaining why it is important for students to learn about elections. Consider performing this dialogue or sharing it with your family.

Key Terms

action; community; constitution; democracy; election; informed; participation; principle; responsibility; right; value; youth turnout

Essential Questions Why should voting be considered both a right and a responsibility? How can I “have a voice” in my community? What are the characteristics of a democracy? Why should I pay attention to elections now if I cannot legally vote?

Teacher Preparation Ensure access to “Voting 101” online videoSelect teaching strategies for essential learning activitiesMake class copies of required handoutsBook computer lab, if desiredPreview websites to be used for class activities, if desired (see chapter on Additional Resources)Select extended learning activity and teaching strategies, if desired

Assessment Students should provide evidence that they are able to clearly define and give examples of rights, responsibilities, and democracy and that they are able to articulate why democracy is personally significant.

Handout 1.1: Democracy Definitions

Complete the following statements. You may need the help of a friend, dictionary, or encyclopedia.

An election is

Examples of elections I have participated in are

The next elections occurring in my community will be

A democracy is

A dictatorship is

A direct democracy is

An example of direct democracy is when

A representative democracy is

An example of representative democracy is

A right is

A responsibility is

A community is

Complete Handout 1.2 before completing these last two statements.Voting is a right and a responsibility because

An election is

Handout 1.2: Rights & ResponsibilitiesConsider the pros, cons, and responsibilities that go along with being granted certain rights. Using the first row as an example, complete the table below. Use the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as well as the information that you have recorded above to brainstorm reasons why voting is a right and a responsibility. Use your notes to summarize why voting is both a right and a responsibility.

Right Pro Con ResponsibilityYou have the right to choose your own friends at school

It is important to have good friends you trust

Sometimes friends can pressure you to do things you would not otherwise do

You must stay true to yourself and make decisions based on your own comfort and not somebody else’s

You have the right to speak in class

You must be respectful of others and determine if your opinions can be hurtful to others

You must take into consideration the appropriateness or truthfulness of opinions you hold when sharing those opinions in class

You have the right to a safe classroom

You can take risks, push yourself to be the best you can be, and you will not be bullied or made fun of by others

What is a right that you have at home, at school, or with friends?

What is your right regarding voting?

Handout 1.3: Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

FundamentalRights

Fundamental rights include: the freedom of conscience and religion*; freedom of thought, belief, opinion, and expression, including freedom of the press and other media**; freedom of peaceful assembly***; and freedom of association.****

DemocraticRights

Democratic rights include: the right for every Canadian, 18 years of age or older, to vote in an election, to be a candidate; the requirement that no government will continue for longer than five years without holding an election; and that these governments meet at least once every year to pass laws.

Mobility Rights

Mobility rights include: the right of every Canadian to choose to work and live in any province or territory in Canada; and the right of every Canadian to live in, leave, and re-enter Canada whenever he or she chooses.

Legal Rights

Legal rights guarantee that Canadians, when arrested, must: be told of their right to see a lawyer; be tried within a reasonable amount of time; and be presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Equality Rights

It is against the law in Canada to discriminate against any Canadian on the basis of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age, or mental or physical ability.

Official Languages Of Canada

All Canadians have the right to use either English or French in communications with Canada’s federal government and some of Canada’s provincial governments.

Minority Language Education Rights

This right guarantees that French and English minorities in every province have the right to be educated in their own language.

* This means that Canadians are free to worship the religion of their choice or to not worship at all.** This means that unless the media report something that is untrue, the media cannot be prevented from reporting anything that happens inside Canada.*** This means that Canadians can meet as a group in private or public provided that it is done so in a non-violent and peaceful way.**** This means that Canadians have the right to associate or befriend anyone they choose and the government does not have the right to limit these associations.

Handout 1.4: A Voice in My Community Use the provided resources to come up with ways that you can have a voice in your community.

From this source of information…

I learned that there is a need for…I learned that other students have…

Therefore, I can have a voice in my community by…

Handout 1.5: Municipal Election Turnout

A total of 3,125,883 of the 8,098,294 qualified electors in the municipalities participating in the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks, and Treasurers of Ontario survey voted in the November 2006 municipal elections. This yields a weighted average turnout rate of 38.6%. The simple average rate, calculated by adding up all the individual turnout rates and dividing this by the total number of municipalities participating in the survey, was 41.9%. The discrepancy is explained by the fact that smaller municipalities generally had higher turnout rates than more populous ones. The table below shows the simple averages by population size. The highest municipal turnout rate was 80.3%, the lowest, 7.8%.

% Turnout by Population in 2006 Municipal Election

Handout 1.6: Provincial & Federal Election Turnout

Historical Voter Turnout in Ontario Provincial General Elections Since 1971General

Election No.Date Number of

SeatsTotal Voter

Turnout% of Eligible Voters List

29 1971 - 10 - 21 117 3 310 776 73.5

30 1975 - 09 - 18 125 3 324 334 67.8

31 1977 - 06 - 09 125 3 361 433 65.6

32 1981 - 03 - 19 125 3 203 281 58.0

33 1985 - 05 - 02 125 3 662 133 61.5

34 1987 - 09 - 10 130 3 803 969 62.7

35 1990 - 09 - 06 130 4 070 654 64.4

36 1995 - 06 - 08 130 4 200 522 63.0

37 1999 - 06 - 03 103 4 430 611 63.0

38 2003 - 10 - 02 103 4 528 167 56.8

39 2007 - 10 - 10 107 4 457 829 52.1

Turnout by Age Group in the 2004 and 2006 Federal General Elections

Handout 1.7: Volunteering in Ontario

% Volunteers by Type of Volunteer Activity

% of Volunteering Population and Average Hours Volunteered by Type of Organization

% Volunteers Reporting Motivations for Volunteering