While the upcoming general election doesn’t involve a vote for president, the stakes are nonetheless high, with many states holding contests for crucial offices including governor, mayor, state supreme court justices, and school boards. Upcoming ballot referendums cover important issues from election law to school funding. It’s an ideal time to teach about the nuts and bolts of elections as well as the underlying civic and government issues.

The following free lessons and activities explore topics highly relevant to the current election cycle. For extra fun and student engagement, check out the games and interactives!

Best 2025 Election Sites and Apps for Education

Your Cheat Sheet to the 2025 General Elections
If all politics is local, then knowing the details of local elections truly matters. In fact, widely varying ballots for the House, Senate, and judiciary this year mean that elections stakes also vary greatly depending on locale. The not-for-profit online magazine Bolts identifies more than 190 key election battles and dives into the nitty gritty for each one. To find the most consequential elections, search by state or local government offices or referendums, covering everything from election law to education funding.

Election Central Educational Guide to U.S. elections
A robust set of civic resources for teaching U.S. elections from PBS. Topics include Election Basics, How Voting Works, Voting Rights, News & Current Issues, Media in elections and much more. Within each topic category, standards-aligned, grade-appropriate lessons offer videos, background reading, questions for discussion, teaching tips and more. Shareable via Google Classroom, link or social media.

When Are the 2026 Midterm Elections? And What is Their Purpose?
The 2026 midterm elections are only one year away, so it’s not too soon to start thinking about the meaning and importance of midterm elections. This article summarizes key information about midterms and invites readers to create their own “Voter Journey Map,” which includes links to their local election dates and deadlines; voting eligibility rules; I.D. requirements; location of polls and much more. Great exercise for students and other first time voters.

Are Government Shutdowns Good or Bad?
Why have government shutdowns become almost routine? What, if any, benefits accrue, and to which parties or people? This timely multi-media lesson from C-Span Classroom Deliberations examines the history of the now-familiar shutdown and poses questions for consideration and debate. Includes lesson plan, vocabulary, background reading, video and activities. Most resources are sharable via Google account.

Is the Use of Tariffs Overall Good or Bad for America?
Having a long history in U.S. economic policy, tariffs have see-sawed over the centuries between enthusiastic adoption and skeptical disfavor. Now that tariffs are once again favored by the party in power, it’s an ideal time to dive deeper to understand their history and effects, both positive and negative. Lesson plan, vocabulary, background reading, video and activities are all included in this program from C-Span’s Classroom Deliberations. Share via Google or download.

Open Secrets
Open Secrets isn’t the usual fact-checking site. Rather, it’s dedicated to tracking, documenting, and revealing the sources of money in American politics and the effect on elections and policy. The site’s research tools include national and local donor lookup as well as selected datasets about campaigns and donors. Great for PBL and advanced students.

Center for Civic Education Voting Lessons
A selection of lessons for elementary, middle, and high school looking at the timeline of U.S. voting history, what it means to be an informed voter, U.S. Presidential elections, and more. Each lesson includes objectives, vocabulary, and classroom activities.

Facing History and Ourselves - Teaching Resources for the U.S. Elections
Facing History's U.S. election-season resources are designed to guide teachers and students in examining the history of voting rights, media literacy, and how young people today can participate in the democratic process.

Best Free Constitution Day Lessons and Activities
Our democracy stems from the Constitution. No discussion of voting and elections is complete without an analysis of the document that, to this day, governs U.S election law.

iCivics - Election Headquarters
From the highly respected iCivics.org site comes a complete look at state, local, and midterm elections, from the Voting Matters Activity to lesson plans to games and infographics. Bonus: “Students Power Elections,” an election guide written by and for students.

Learning for Justice Future Voter Project
Learning for Justice’s Future Voter Project provides resources to educate kids about voting rights and voter suppression, and more importantly, a guide for registering all eligible students by the time they graduate high school. To examine controversial topics, visit the Civil Discourse in the Classroom page. Free account registration required.

Best 2025 Election Games And Interactives

GerryMander Voting District Puzzle Game
Have you ever wondered what it takes to “gerrymander” a state or district? This voting district puzzle game gives students a chance to try their hand at creating uneven districts in evenly-matched political populations. Along the way, amusing sound effects, comments and images of real-world gerrymandered districts add to the fun and knowledge.

NYT Lesson of the Day: A Gerrymandering Game
What is gerrymandering and how does it affect the outcome of elections? This New York Times lesson includes vocabulary, the gerrymandering interactive, questions for deeper discussions, and links to relevant articles. A winner in any race.

iCivic Election Games
From iCivics, the champion of nonpartisan civics education, Cast Your Vote, Branches of Power, and NewsFeed Defenders are perfect for teaching about U.S. elections. Each game is also available in iOS and Android format.

• Fact-Checking Sites for Students
• Facing History and Ourselves: How to Use It to Teach
• Awesome Articles for Students: Websites and Other Resources

Students in grades K–12 in all 50 states and the District of Columbia have been learning about civics and the U.S. electoral process by participating in the Scholastic Student Vote, a mock election that has engaged kids nationwide since 1940. More than 168,000 votes were cast and students selected Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, with 61% of the Student Vote. Republican candidate President Donald Trump received 39% of the vote. The Student Vote is an educational activity, not based on a scientifically-designed sample of the student population, and reflects the views of self-selected respondents. Virtual ballots were cast from August 24, 2020 through October 27, 2020. 

“Typically a student experiences two or three presidential elections as they’re growing up, and Scholastic helps teachers use the elections as powerful opportunities for students to learn about democracy. That’s why we created the Scholastic Student Vote in 1940—to more deeply engage students in this civics learning experience, to give them practice in exploring issues, having respectful discussions, and making their voices heard,” said Lauren Tarshis, Senior Vice President & Editor-In-Chief/Publisher, Scholastic Classroom Magazines. 

Over the course of 20 United States presidential election cycles, the Scholastic Student Vote results have mirrored the outcome of Election Day results, except for three elections: Harry S. Truman vs. Thomas E. Dewey in 1948; John F. Kennedy vs. Richard M. Nixon in 1960; and the most recent past election, Donald J. Trump vs. Hillary R. Clinton in 2016.

Tarshis added, “For 100 years, it’s been our mission at Scholastic to provide educators with the resources they need to support children in their journey to understand the world around them and to become critical thinkers.” According to findings from the Scholastic Teacher & Principal School Report: 2nd Edition, 92% of teachers agree that teaching students about the U.S. presidential election is an important way to help them become engaged and informed citizens. 

Students and educators can visit www.scholastic.com/election through Inauguration Day to access free resources such as videos about the democratic process, quizzes, and activities, in addition to fact-checked articles. Students can also read election stories from Scholastic Kids Press, a team of Kid Reporters, ages 10–14, who cover “news for kids, by kids.” 

To learn more about resources from Scholastic Classroom Magazines, visit: www.scholastic.com/magazines.

With the 2022 U.S. election only a few weeks away, now is the time to explore these top election teaching resources from respected, non-partisan sources. Most are 100% free.  For extra fun and student engagement, check out the games and interactives.  

BEST 2022 ELECTION WEBSITES

1. Britannica ProCon.org - 2020 Presidential Election Site
   The go-to site for controversial issues provides a wealth of information for the 2020 election, including candidate statements on diverse issues from “defund police” to “border wall” to “tuition free college.”  Even better, the Teachers' Corner features 2020 election lesson plans and tools for teaching two dozen AP courses, plus ideas on teaching critical thinking.
2. Center for Civic Education - Voting Lessons
   Browse the ample selection of detailed lesson plans, organized by elementary, middle, and high school. 
3. C-SPAN Classroom- Campaign 2020
   Extensive 2020 election resources from C-Span Classroom include the basics of American democracy, candidate comparisons, issues, lesson plans, campaign strategy, and much more. Much of the material is based on news videos, creating a golden opportunity for independent student research. 
4. Facing History and Ourselves - Teaching Resources for the 2020 U.S. Election
   Facing History's U.S. election-season resources are designed to guide teachers and students in examining the history of voting rights, media literacy, and how young people today can participate in the democratic process.  Three online professional development events explore ways for educators to support student civic participation. 
5. iCivics - Election Headquarters
   From the highly respected iCivics.org site comes a complete look at the 2020 U.S. election, from the 2020 Presidential Candidates Guide to lesson plans to games and infographics. Bonus: “Students Power Elections,” an election guide written by and for students.  
6. PBS Learning Media - Election Central
   Features a robust collection of 2020 election video clips, documents, lesson plans, and interactives for grade 4 and up. Be sure to check out the awesome KQED Youth Media Challenge: Let's Talk About Election 2020 .
7. PBS NewsHour Extra Election 2020
   2020 election campaign teaching resources include downloadable news videos, voting lesson plans, and “Educator Voice(s),” topical articles written by teachers.  
8. ReadWriteThink
   Although not specific to the 2020 election, ReadWriteThink’s election-related lessons and classroom activities cover important topics such as propaganda, political commercials, and speechmaking. Resources are conveniently organized by grade. 
9. Share my Lesson - Elections And Democracy: Free Lesson Plans And Resources
   Explore myriad preK-12 civic education resources created by and for teachers. Highlights: Voter Registration Action Plan and How To Get Along With Our Political Opposites. 
10. Teaching Tolerance
    Teaching Tolerance’s Future Voter Project provides resources to educate kids voting rights and voter suppression, and more importantly, a guide for registering all eligible students by the time they graduate high school. To examine controversial topics, visit the Civil Discourse in the Classroom page.
11. The New York Times - Teach and Learn With the 2020 Election
    These free writing prompts, challenges, lesson plans, and other resources invite teachers and students to dive deeply into 2020 election topics. High school students and above are encouraged to share their opinions in a productive and respectful fashion with the Civil Conversation Challenge.

BEST 2020 ELECTION GAMES AND INTERACTIVES

1. 2020 Presidential Election Interactive Map
   This 2020 Presidential Election Interactive Map is a fun and instructive way to examine the likely scenarios for the outcome of the 2020 Presidential race. Bonus: Share your map via social media, email, or website embed. 
2. 270 | Two Seventy U.S. Election Android  iOS
   A great game to teach and practice strategic thinking in the context of U.S. Presidential elections. 
3. Campaign Manager - An Election Simulator
   Choose your role and your election, from 1992’s Clinton vs. Bush to 2020’s Biden vs. Trump. Then manage advertising, events, volunteers, staff, and money to see if you can make history—or reverse it. The app’s model uses real-world polling data, population demographics, and historical voting trends.
4. The New York Times: The Battleground States Biden and Trump Need to Win 270 Simple drag-and-drop interface allows users to see which combinations of states win the election for either candidate.
5. Win the White House  Android iOS
   Players learn the ins and outs of Presidential campaigns by debating opponents, raising funds, polling voters, launching media, and making appearances. Gameplay includes a daily leaderboard. 

• Fact-Checking Sites for Students
• Best Tools for Teachers

Cast Your Vote

Lively civics sim introduces the hows and whys of voting decisions

Pros: Feels very modern, and gets students to reflect on their positions on important issues.

Cons: Students can't access previous notes during Town Hall meetings, and scorecard at the end is a bit reductive.

Bottom Line: This game valuably shows students the importance of researching candidates and how to do it, and along the way gets students to define their political points-of-view.

Read more 

App of the Day picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed by Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly. 

By Common Sense Education

With the midterm elections coming up shortly, it makes sense to share some of the potential resources to help educate students about this election as well as the electoral process in general. One of the best available is Kids Voting which has resources for teachers or parents to use with students at each level. The George Lucas Educational Foundation has supported the Edutopia site in developing activities for students to become engaged in learning about the election. iCivics has a recent blog providing a range of prompts to use with students to help them understand the election process. NAMLE’s Every Teachers Guide for the 2018 Elections is a wonderful resource for those using debate and speech as teaching tools. FiveThirtyEight is a political polling website which has a wealth of poll related information on the upcoming midterms. I Agree to See is a site that hosts a compilation of political ads from around the nation. ISTE put out a list of excellent political fact checking sites last February. FactCheck.org is an exemplar among the fact checking sites.

While focusing on getting the students involved, don’t forget to register to vote yourself. One of the best voter information sites is Vote411 supported by the League of Women Voters. Share it with your entire staff.—Steve Baule, Educational Leadership Professor at the University of Wisconsin – Superior

On 2/15 we celebrate the brave suffragette, Susan B. Anthony. Learn all about her life and her efforts to win voting rights for women. Learn how Susan got into trouble, her early training, casting her ballot, and her subsequent arrest and trial.

courtesy of Knovation