Y VOTE MOCK ELECTIONS

STEP 3: CANDIDATES

Now you need to think about who you want to vote for.

A CANDIDATE is somebody who wants to get elected so that they have the power to change things.

Most candidates are members of a POLITICAL PARTY – a group of people who have similar ideas and beliefs.



Before voting you need to think about which candidate or party most closely represents the things that you want.

If you want to find out more about the main political parties visit the party information section of the website. Do any of them have similar beliefs to you?

At election time you may get leaflets through your letter box from some of the parties and candidates, telling you what they would do if they were elected and asking you to vote for them. Sometimes members of political parties may even telephone you or knock on your door to try to get you to vote for them. A MANIFESTO is a list of things that a politician promises to do if they win an election.

Watch a short fun video on how elections work by clicking here.

Activity: What characteristics should a good politician have? Is it important that a politician is honest? Hard working? Take our 'Build Your Own Politician' poll and let us know what qualities you think are important.