Constitutional Civic Inquiries
GRADES 9–12: WE THE PEOPLE, LEVEL 3
Compelling Question: Does low voter turnout in the United States signal a problem with democracy?
Time Required: Two class periods, plus one summative assessment
Overview
Voting is the most common form of civic participation, and also the one Americans decline most often — and turnout drops sharply as elections move closer to home. This lesson has students work directly with turnout data, distinguishing the voting-age population from the voting-eligible population, identifying trends across presidential, midterm, and local elections, and then moving from diagnosis to proposal by designing their own plan to increase participation.
What Students Will Do
Students analyze a 2024 voter turnout pie chart using an unlocking organizer, then map the full range of ways Americans can participate in government at local, state, and federal levels. They rotate through data stations examining turnout statistics disaggregated by age, race, election type, and community, using an analysis guide to identify and explain trends. Students then develop a Voter Turnout Plan proposing specific policy or community strategies to increase participation, supported by the data they have analyzed, and complete a structured reflection on the compelling question.
Student Outcomes
By completing this lesson, students will be able to identify avenues for civic participation at every level of government, accurately interpret turnout statistics using the appropriate denominators, analyze trends and explain the factors behind them, and propose evidence-based policies to increase participation. Students will also strengthen collaboration, consideration of alternate points of view, and attentiveness to political matters.