WELCOME T THE

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WELCOME T THE
WELCOME TO THE
WELCOME TO THE
Developed by the
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INTRODUCTION FOR TEACHERS
The Election Toolkit has been designed for you
and your students to explore the process of
voting and elections. Its a handy all-in-one
kit to help you run your own election. It
includes most of the props you will
need. Downloadable versions of all documents
are available online. Please visit parliament.uk/
electiontoolkit
We hope that the toolkit will demystify the
election process and encourage students to
consider our democratic rights in the UK. The
toolkit is designed to be intuitive and
experiential flexible in use and reusable. A
brief user manual is also included in the kit.
This PowerPoint presentation has been created
as a basic guide to take you through the process.
An election can be run in a minimum of two
lessons or a double period or it can be extended
in stages over a longer period of time. You may
want to print out individual slides for your
students reference. Please feel free to adapt
to your own style and needs. Let us know what
youve done with the kit. We welcome your
feedback and hope you enjoy using it. Email us
with your feedback on education_at_parliament.uk
Now get started!
Underlined words can be found in the Glossary of
Terms at the end of this Presentation
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WELCOME TO YOUR ELECTION TOOLKIT
In May 2015, a General Election will be held in
the UK. In an election, citizens aged 18 and
over can choose to vote for a candidate to
represent them and their constituency in
Parliament. Those elected Candidates become
MPs. The right to vote in an election is the
heartbeat of our democracy and the act of placing
a vote is a momentous and empowering experience.
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THE TOOLKIT
Parliament has created an Election Toolkit to
enable you to experience the lead up to and the
process of an election. The toolkit includes all
of the props you need to replicate the real thing
in 10 clear steps. Everyone will have a role in
making the election happen.
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THE TOOLKIT

• In your Ballot Box youll find
• Stickers to brand your box
• Security Seals
• Ballot Papers
• Electoral Registers
• Poll Cards
• Poll Station Sign
• Officials Lanyards
• Team stickers
• Rosettes for party leaders
• Pin Badges for members
• Manifesto Posters
• Policy Cards and
• a Stamp to make all of your paperwork official!

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RUN YOUR ELECTION IN TEN STEPS
RUN YOUR ELECTION IN TEN STEPS
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STEP 1 REGISTER TO VOTE
STEP 1
To take part in an election every eligible
citizen can register to vote either by returning
a registration card they receive from their local
council or online. Before you start, in the
toolkit you will find an Electoral Register. Pass
the register round and encourage everyone to fill
in their details. Remember, if youre not
registered you cant vote.
WHATS NEXT STEP 2 VOTER PROFILES
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STEP 2 VOTER PROFILES
STEP 2
Before we get started, its time to think about a
very important participant in an election the
VOTER! Take a moment to reflect on yourself and
the community you live in and on the country as
a whole. Doing this will help you decide who you
might vote for in your election. What issues
motivate you or concern you? Transport,
innovation and business or international
development for example? What change would you
like to see in your local area or country
as a whole?
WHATS NEXT STEP 3 ASSIGNING ROLES
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STEP 3 ASSIGNING ROLES
STEP 3

• Everyone has a part to play in this election.
• Please divide up into the following teams
• and discuss your roles and responsibilities.
• Party Teams
• 4 x candidates teams
• Polling Station Teams
• Registrar team
• Polling Officer team
• Chief Counter team
• Polling Station Manager team
• All the students in class that registered
• are also voters.

WHATS NEXT STEP 3 ASSIGNING ROLES DIVISION
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STEP 3 ASSIGNING ROLES DIVISION
The class should now divide into two. The class
will now work in Party teams and Polling Station
teams to work towards the election. You will be
working on your roles and responsibilities at the
same time as each other so it is important you
are clear on what you are doing. Polling
Station teams can begin to prepare for the
election using their lanyard instructions, while
Party teams can complete their manifestos
following upcoming directions. If preferred, all
students can stay together as instructions for
both teams are read out across the following
slides.
Party teams collect their rosettes, badges and
spare stickers if needed and will create their
manifestos using the Policy Cards provided.
Polling Station teams will collect their
Lanyards with instructions and team member
stickers, then complete official paperwork and
prepare the Polling Station.
WHATS NEXT STEP 4 PARTIES
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STEP 4 PARTIES
STEP 4
When we vote in an election we vote for a
candidate representing our constituency. Each
candidate will fight the election on a manifesto
a set of ideas and policies that a political
party sets out to achieve if they get into
power. Although candidates can stand as
independents. Party teams will now create their
own manifesto using the Manifesto Poster
Template and Policy Cards. Before you start
ensure that the party candidates are wearing
their Rosette and the team members are wearing
their Badges or Stickers!
WHATS NEXT STEP 5 MANIFESTO
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STEP 5 MANIFESTO
STEP 5
Each party will receive 12 Policy Cards. Each
policy is drawn from a set of topics such as
Education, Transport, Health etc. Study your
selection in detail. Using debate and discussion
narrow down your policies to just 3 the ones
you think are most important to the party.
WHATS NEXT STEP 6 THE POLLING STATION
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STEP 5 MANIFESTO
STEP 5
Each party will receive 12 Policy Cards. Each
policy is drawn from a set of topics such as
Education, Transport, Health etc. Study your
selection in detail. Using debate and discussion
narrow down your policies to just 3 the ones
you think are most important to the party.
WHATS NEXT STEP 6 THE POLLING STATION
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STEP 5 MANIFESTO
STEP 5
Your final selection of 3 policies makes a
completed manifesto. Have a discussion as a
group about what makes your manifesto stand out.
This will help you present your policies to the
electorate later on in the process. Make sure
you attach your policies to the Manifesto Poster
Template provided.
WHATS NEXT STEP 6 THE POLLING STATION
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MEANWHILE......
MEANWHILE
MEANWHILE
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STEP 6 THE POLLING STATION
STEP 6
By now the Polling Station team should be aware
of their roles and are setting-up an election in
the space provided. Just in case team
instructions are on the back of the Officials
lanyards and an overview of tasks can be found
on the next slide too.
WHATS NEXT STEP 6 ROLES DESCRIPTIONS
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STEP 6 THE POLLING STATION

• Registrar team
• Complete Poll Cards using voter details from the
  Electoral Register.
• Stamp each Poll Card when complete to confirmit
  is official.
• Distribute Poll Cards to the electorate.
• At election, the Registrar will sign off voters
  as they arrive using Electoral Register.

• Polling Officer team
• Complete the Ballot Papers, adding the candidate
  details.
• Prepare the Ballot Box by applying the four
  PartyStickers.
• Complete the information panels on each sideof
  the box.
• At election, the Polling Officer will hand out
  Ballot Papers.

WHATS NEXT STEP 6 MORE ROLES DESCRIPTIONS
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STEP 6 THE POLLING STATION

• Chief Counter team
• Ensure the Ballot Box is empty and seal it.
• Create forms to record the results one for each
  counter.
• After the vote is complete, break the seal on the
  box. Each counter must count the votes and record
  their numbers on their form.
• The Chief Counter must check the forms to verify
  the count and supply final figures to Returning
  Officer.

• Polling Station Manager team
• Find a suitable private area for the Polling
  Booth.
• Create a Polling Booth using card and provide
  pens.
• Put up Polling Station poster.
• Set-up a table for the Registrar and Polling
  Officer to sit at.
• At election, the Polling Station Manager must
  ensure all voters queue in an orderly fashion.

WHATS NEXT STEP 7 PRESENTING MANIFESTOS
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MEANWHILE......
THE CLASS SHOULD NOW RE-GROUP
THE CLASS SHOULD NOW RE-GROUP
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STEP 7 PRESENTING MANIFESTOS
STEP 7
Before we vote in an election we will have heard
about what parties intend to do in power via
candidates canvassing for our vote door-to-door,
online or via election broadcasts. This
information helps us make a decision about who we
might vote for. Each party candidate has 3
minutes to present their Manifesto Poster to
the class and canvass for votes!
3 MINUTES
3 MINUTES
3 MINUTES
3 MINUTES
WHATS NEXT STEP 8 TIME TO VOTE
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STEP 8 TIME TO VOTE
STEP 8
The Chief Registrar and Polling Officer should
take their seats at a table with the Electoral
Register. The rest of the class, the
electorate, will now line up to vote, remembering
to bring their Poll Card and to vote in
privacy! Each voter must present their Poll Card
to the Chief Registrar who will check them off
the Electoral Register. The Polling Officer will
hand them a Ballot Paper. Meanwhile the Station
Manager will ensure voters queue in an orderly
fashion.
WHATS NEXT STEP 9 COUNTING THE VOTE
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STEP 9 COUNTING THE VOTE
STEP 9
The Counting Team now have the responsibility of
emptying the Ballot Box and counting the
votes. The Security Seal is broken and all the
papers are taken out and divided into piles
according to the cross in the box. Each pile is
then counted to get the initial figure of how
many votes each candidate has. Each counter
should take and record a count to ensure
accuracy.
WHATS NEXT STEP 10 RESULTS
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STEP 10 RESULTS
A final count is verified by the Chief Counters
and the results can be announced in alphabetical
order by the Returning Officer. We suggest this
is your teacher. The candidate with the largest
amount of votes is the winner! The winning
candidate gets to make an acceptance speech,
usually thanking the electorate and promising to
uphold the manifesto.
What happens if theres a draw? Under Electoral
Commission guidelines, in the event of a tie
between two candidates, the returning officer
must decide between the candidates by the
addition of an extra vote decided by the drawing
of lots.
STEP 10
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?
Whats next?
Whats next?

• Now that you have completed your election, here
  are some questions to consider
• How did it feel to take part in your election?
• What are your thoughts on the outcome of the
  vote?
• What activities or further learning could you now
  do as a class based on your election experience?
• If any teams undertook research during the
  session, why not share your findings with your
  class?
• When will you be eligible to vote? Remember, you
  can register from the age of 16 by post or online
  www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
• Find out more about Parliament and the election
  process www.parliament.uk/education

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We hope you enjoyed running your own election!
Developed by the
Let us know what you think about the kit email
us on education_at_parliament.uk and also send us
some photos of the kit in action!