Why does voting matter?
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain why voting is an important part of the democratic process and how political decisions are made.
Key learning points
- Politics impacts all the activities we take part in.
- In a general election we vote for MPs who represent us in Parliament.
- Exercising our right to vote is a good way of taking part in the politics and influencing the decisions made by MPs.
Keywords
General election - when the citizens of a country (the electorate) vote to elect a new government; a general election in the UK happens at least every five years
Member of Parliament (MP) - a person elected by voters to represent them in Parliament; MPs participate in making laws, debating policies and addressing issues that affect the public
Voting - the activity of choosing someone or something in an election
Common misconception
All people who are eligible will vote in general elections.
Just because someone is eligible, it doesn't mean they will vote. In the UK 2024 general election, voter turnout was 59.7%. This was the lowest turnout at a general election since 2001.
Teacher tip
Encourage pupils to relate voting to decisions they make in daily life, like group choices at school. Use real-life examples, such as the 2024 UK election turnout, to show how not voting affects everyone’s decisions.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Suffrage means:
Q2.At what age can you vote in the UK in a general election?
Q3.How many key points were outlined in the People's Charter written by the Chartists in 1838?
Q4.Which of the following methods were used by the Suffragettes?
Q5.Which of the following statements demonstrate the specific impact of the Suffragists?
Q6.Match the group to its description.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the word to its definition.
Q2.Which of the following activities are affected by politics?
Q3.How many MPs sit in the House of Commons?
Q4.Which of the following statements are correct about who can vote in the UK?
Q5.What was the voter turnout in the 2024 general election?
Q6.Why is voting important?
To help you plan your 8 citizenship lesson on: Why does voting matter?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 citizenship lesson on: Why does voting matter?, 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 Why was the struggle for the vote important today? unit, dive into the full secondary citizenship curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.