Guilford County Teacher Information
 

KIDS VOTING - THE BASICS

KIDS VOTING is a unique and wonderful program that ties the classroom, the home and the community together, and that teaches students how to be contributing members of society.  It is easy and can be integrated into various subject areas to help coordinate learning.
 

• Have fun with the program!  It’s okay to keep it simple.  Your main goal should be to teach students about how the community works and excite them about the voting process, helping to instill in them a good voting habit, rather than to worry about whether your students understand all the details of the election.

• Coordinate with other teachers at your school.  Discuss KIDS VOTING at teachers’ meetings and decide there how to do school-wide activities such as registration and/or a celebration in early October to kick off the KIDS VOTING season.  Exchange ideas with other teachers.  Share the responsibility for preparing lessons with other teachers.  It is easier to prepare one lesson for 5 classes than have 5 teachers each preparing for the same lesson.

• Use recommended Timeline.  Use activities as a tool.  Choose KIDS VOTING activities that best fit your teaching needs.  They are aligned with the NC Teaching Standards for Social Studies, English/Language Arts, and Math to help you meet your teaching goals.  They assist with citizenship and character development and also coordinate well with other subject areas such as art.  (Click here for alignments to Social Studies, Language Arts, and Math).

• Campaign material such as yard signs and buttons are expensive.  Please limit requests for materials to one/classroom or one/school if your lessons require them.  Consider contacting candidates ahead of time to discuss availability of materials.

• Involve parents/guardians and keep them informed.  Communicate with them about the program, especially in elementary and middle schools.  Use activities that involve family interaction.  When grade appropriate, you might also want to invite them in to the classroom to assist with KIDS VOTING activities.

• Excite your students!  Be creative.  Involve the community if possible – they love this program!

•  Protect the nonpartisan character of schools and KIDS VOTING.

• Explain the meaning of  “nonpartisan” and the fact that school staff members must not share their personal views that may sway students.

• When studying candidates and issues, include all sides.

• If you invite candidates to speak on campus, invite all candidates for the office to participate.  If a candidate cannot attend, ask that some representative of the campaign speak instead, or if necessary, request a position statement to use with students.

• Teachers and other school staff members should not pass out campaign literature to students.

• Kick off the election season with a celebration or other special event or hold an event right before the election (see Timeline for ideas).
   

• Seek media coverage of campus events.  Contact KIDS VOTING – Guilford County at 373-8773 or at info@kidsvotingguilford.org or send your school system’s public relations person for assistance.  Guilford County Schools teachers can also call your PR office.  Keep your principal advised of plans for the media to visit your campus.

• Call the Guilford County Elections Office with any questions about voting, eligibility, etc. (Greensboro – 641-3836 or High Point 845-7895).

• Encourage students to vote on Election Day, Tuesday, November 4 from 6:30am – 7:30pm or at early voting sites.

• Some teachers assign voting for homework or offer incentives such as a homework pass.  It is best to give the option of an alternate activity as well so that students unable to go to the polls aren’t penalized – and are still learning something!

• Students in K-8 should be accompanied by a parent or other adult.  High School students do not need to be accompanied.

• Use absentee ballot for students who are unable to go to the polls (though it doesn’t compare to the experience of going to the real polls.)

• Adults must vote at their assigned precinct.  Students may vote at any open precinct if convenience is a factor.

• NO STUDENT WILL BE TURNED AWAY AT THE POLLS unless he/she has already voted.  Student’s parents or guardians do not need to be registered (or even citizens) for students to vote.  The process and learning opportunity are more important than the procedures.

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