Home » Take Action » Become a Student Activist » Case of the Month Archives » January 2001
Lesson Plan
Race and the Equal Right to Vote
"Should local, state and federal governments implement various different voting methods in U.S. precincts?
Purpose
The purpose of this lesson plan is to identify relevant provisions of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and understand how these laws protect the rights of minority voters and whether or not government-backed voting practices in Florida violate these laws.
Grade
9-12
Objectives
This is a timely and interesting activity for high school students, considering the issues that have been raised with regard to voting rights and the recent Presidential Election. As a result, students should be able to
? Identify relevant provisions of the Equal-protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and explain how this provision protects minority citizens' right to vote.
? Identify and understand the Voting Rights Act of 1965 42 U.S.C. § 1973 et seq. (Sec. 2)
? Understand the complexity of the issue and identify arguments on both sides of the issue by participating in activities related to the topic.
Materials
1. Text of the Equal-Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment: It provides that "[n]o state shall make or enforce any law which shall...deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
2. Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 42 U.S.C. § 1973 et seq.
3. On-line complaint in NAACP v. Katherine Harris et al.
Activities:
After scouring on-line newspaper and magazine articles related to voting irregularities in the 2000 Presidential Election, the teacher should moderate a discussion concerning what it means to vote and participate in the core of democratic governance through the election of public officials. The students should also discuss various examples of how voters were disenfranchised through situations such as: uncounted ballots, confusing ballot design, language barriers, alleged intimidation at the polls or inaccurate records of eligible voters.
The classroom should be divided into five groups. The teacher will write the made-up names of phantom candidates running in this upcoming election on the front chalkboard. Each group of students should then create their own unique design for a ballot that includes the names of all the candidates listed on the board. Be creative and include at least five different instructions for voters to follow. (Examples include, voting only in red ink, checking vs. circling, spacing candidate names next to or underneath check boxes.) You may re-create the confusing Palm Beach County "butterfly" ballot design used in the November election, or design your own new design. Use different colored paper for each ballot.
- Once each group finishes designing its ballot, exchange the ballots between groups, making sure voters DO NOT receive ballots they helped design.
- After everyone votes, students place the completed ballots inside a box in the front of the classroom.
- After all the votes have been cast, the teacher will separate the ballots by color, returning the completed ballots to the groups that designed them.
- Students will then meet with their previously assigned groups and act as mock Canvassing Board, reviewing ballots and discounting those in which voters did not follow directions.
- After reviewing ballots, each group will share with the class the number of discounted ballots they each had.
