Get your pupils to visit our 'Run a Campaign' section for advice and resources that will really set their campaign alight!
Teachers » Standard Mock Election » Step 2: Public Announcement and Nominations
Step 2: Public Announcement and Nominations
- Announce the election, explaining what is involved and the different roles available (election team, candidate, campaign team). An assembly may be the best time to do this, depending on how many classes you have participating.
Offering some sort of reward for all candidates or the winning party is one way to encourage participation – you could arrange a visit to Parliament through your MP, or a visit to your local council offices, so that candidates can present their views to their real representatives.
Alternatively you may wish to allocate roles and have pupils put their campaigns together in lessons if you feel that pupils are unlikely to put themselves forward as candidates.
- Distribute nomination forms along with Becoming a Candidate cue cards to all participating students. This could be done in tutor time or as part of a citizenship lesson. Remind pupils of what the various roles entail and ask them to register their interest as either a candidate or a member of the campaign team or a member of the election team. Candidates need to decide which party to stand for (or create their own) – further information is provided on the cue card and in the ‘Run a Campaign’ section of the website.
- Create a Y Vote display to raise awareness of the project. Include clear information on how to get involved and any important dates. You can update the display by adding add party manifestos and your ‘Notice of Poll’ at a later date.
Download NOMINATION FORM.pdf
Download BECOMING A CANDIDATE.pdf
Extension Activities:
Get pupils to think about what characterisitics a candidate should have by taking part in our online Build Your Own Politician poll. Encourage them to learn more about voting and political parties before the election by visiting our Voting section - it includes fun videos and a quiz to test their understanding.
Pressure Groups - Get pupils to explore the role of pressure groups by visiting our ‘Running a Campaign’ section and doing research on real pressure groups. Groups of pupils who care about one specific policy or policy area (but do not want to stand for election as a party) could be encouraged to take the role of a pressure group in the election in order to influence party policies.