Elections and voting

Ballot Measures and Referendums

Direct democracy: the questions voters decide themselves, without going through a legislature. Opens with a class vote on who really makes the decisions.

Grades 3–5~35 minNonpartisan

Word document — open it in Word, Pages, or Google Docs and adapt it for your class.

01 Warm-up 5 min

Warm-up:

    • [Going to do a vote] Question: Who do you think makes most of the decisions in government?
      • Politicians/Elected Officials
      • The people/Citizens
      • Both
    • The correct answer is BOTH!
02 Lecture 10 min

Lecture:

    • Today we are going to be talking about ballot measures and referendums! These are ways voters can directly decide on laws, policies, taxes, constitutional changes, or government spending.
    • What are Ballot Measures?
      • A ballot measure is a question or proposal that is placed directly on the ballot for voters to decide. Instead of elected representatives being the only people making decisions, the citizens can also have a say to vote either “yes” or “no” on an issue.
      • These ballot measures can address many different subjects such as:
        • School funding
        • Public transportation
        • Election rules
        • Enviornmental regulations
        • Criminal justice policies
      • Ballot measures are important because they are an example of “direct democracy”
        • Direct democracy gives a more “direct” role to citizens in making certain policy decisions.
    • What is a Referendum?
      • A referendum is a process that allows voters to decide whether a particular law or proposal should take effect.
      • In many states, a referendum can be used to challenge a law that has already been passed by legislature. Supporters of the referendum generally must collect the required number of signatures to place the issue before voters.
    • Ballot measures and referendums matter because they give citizens a direct voice in government decisions. Instead of elected officials making every decision, citizens could vote on and/or challenge certain laws/politics.
03 Games 2 activities

2 interactive games:

    • Show an image of a ballot measure and then have them make their own and share it to the class!
    • Group students into 4-5 and then read out flashcards about a certain law or policy (can be made up). Then each group will discuss and then they will share whether or not they will challenge that law or not (activity about referendum).
04 Wrap-up 5 min

Wrap-up:

    • Now that you understand what ballot measures and referendums are, in your own words, why do you think it is important for regular citizens to make such decisions?