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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 as well as 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
of the details of the election.
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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 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.
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Use recommended
Timeline.
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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.)
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Campaign materials such
as yard signs and buttons are expensive. Please limit
requests for materials to one/classroom or one/school.
Consider contacting candidates ahead of time to discuss
availability of materials.
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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.
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Excite your students!
Be creative. Involve the community if possible – they love
this program!
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Protect the nonpartisan character of schools
and KIDS VOTING
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Explain the meaning of “nonpartisan" and
the fact that school staff members must not share their
personal views that may sway students.
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When studying candidates and issues,
include all sides.
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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.
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Teachers and other school staff members
should not pass out campaign literature to students.
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Kick off the election season with a
celebration or other grade appropriate special event or hold
an event right before the election. See
Timeline for ideas.)
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Seek media coverage of campus events.
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Call the Guilford County Elections Office
with any questions about voting, eligibility, etc.
(Greensboro: 641-3836 or High Point: 845-7895).
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Encourage students to
vote on Election Day 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. Students'
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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“I enjoy working with Kids Voting because of the enthusiasm and commitment I feel both from the adult volunteers and the students participating. It is truly inspiring to see over a thousand volunteers, in Guilford County alone, working to provide a voting experience for our students?”
- Anne Sheffield, Teacher, Board Member
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“Kids Voting provides me with an excellent platform to teach students the importance of voting. The out-of-school support such as organizing and manning the Kids Voting booths on Election Day is a great tool for educating middle schoolers about voting. The Kids Voting Program is often seen as an October through Election Day activity, but I use the materials throughout the year.”
- David Roberts, Teacher
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“Kid's Voting creates the perfect plan for me to impact my students' knowledge of their individual voice in our democratic government. Kids Voting is a red, white and blue opportunity for teachers to develop strong citizens and to become better informed instructors.”
- Brenda Lenna, Teacher
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