Why is registering to vote so important?
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain how an eligible person can register to vote and why voting in local elections matters.
Key learning points
- There are many eligibility criteria for voting, e.g. age and residency.
- To register to vote, an eligible person must complete an online or paper form with their details.
- Local elections give communities the opportunity to choose who they want to make decisions on essential services.
- Voter registration drives aim to encourage people to join the electoral roll and vote on polling day.
- The political party with the majority (50% +1) gains overall power of the council, which gives them more control.
Keywords
Election - when people vote to choose leaders or representatives for public positions
Eligible - to meet the criteria or rules to be able to do something
Suffrage - the right to vote
Majority - when a political party has more than half of the total seats in a group, e.g. a council or a parliament; in a majority, the party needs at least one more seat than half of all the seats available
Common misconception
Everyone automatically gets a chance to vote in a UK election.
Not all residents are eligible to vote or are registered to vote. Some may miss out on elections if they don’t register in time or are unaware of the process.
Teacher tip
For Task C, teachers may want to direct pupils to create the leaflet in its entirety, rather than just preparing the text for the leaflet.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What campaign method is specifically being used when candidates use an online presence to advertise their policies and ideas?
Q2.Put the six steps of the election process in order.
Q3.A councillor/candidate may be independent, which means they __________ belong to a political party.
Q4.The rules about being allowed to vote are __________ across the countries of the UK.
Q5.For many years in the UK, voting rights in the UK were not ...
Q6.Match the word with its correct definition.
the right to vote
the formal process of voting to choose representatives
a statement outlining a candidate's policies and ideas
having more than 50% of the total available
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Registering to vote can be done on a paper form or ...
Q2.If a political party holds 50% +1 of all the seats available, it is known as having the ...
Q3.What is the main reason for having a voter registration drive?
Q4.Put these events into the order that they happened with regards to suffrage in the UK.
Q5.Finish the sentences by matching them to the correct words.
who runs the local council.
local democracy.
suffrage.
the electoral roll.
Q6.To be eligible to vote, people must meet which criteria?
To help you plan your 7 citizenship lesson on: Why is registering to vote so important?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 7 citizenship lesson on: Why is registering to vote so important?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 citizenship lessons from the How does local democracy work? unit, dive into the full secondary citizenship curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.