Discusses a preliminary study of the effect of ballot interface design on voting behavior. Finds significant problems related to human factors and the organization of information on the ballot on mechanical and electronic voting machines. (RS)

Describes efforts to enlist community support for a bond referendum to build two new elementary schools in Lunenburg County, Virginia. Recommends (1) establishing a grassroots organization; (2) emphasizing moral issues; (3) stressing needs of the school system; (4) orienting the campaign toward the future; (5) starting the campaign early; and (6)…

Examines intended and unintended effects of print comparative political advertising on political decision making, voting preferences, and situational election involvement among a sample of communication and business undergraduate students. Suggests that comparative advertising reduces targeted-candidate voting preferences while avoiding most forms…

Presents activities that allow students to explore alternative voting methods and discover the advantages and disadvantages of each method. Features the statement and proof of Arrow's theorem which requires only basic arithmetic and allows students to engage in high-level mathematical thinking. (ASK)

This article discuss the potential impact of Black Greek-Lettered Organizations (BGLOs) in advancing African American civil and political rights. During the antebellum years and Jim Crow era, barriers to Black voting included enslavement, anti-literacy laws, violence and intimidation, grandfather clauses, gerrymandering, literacy requirements,…

After meeting as a community to set policy on schools and other matters since 1766, residents of Deerfield, New Hampshire, are altering that democratic process to make room for modern demands. This article describes the decision in Deerfield to discontinue holding the traditional New England annual school district meeting. Instead, by a thin…

Modern politics become personalized as individual characteristics of voters and candidates assume greater importance in political discourse. Although personalities of candidates capture center stage and become the focus of voters' preferences, individual characteristics of voters, such as their traits and values, become decisive for political…

Quality of Life (QOL) is often measured with surveys of citizen's satisfaction. In contrast, the current research uses already-existing voting data to infer citizens' perceptions of QOL. Under this model, citizens decide how much their QOL has improved (or declined) since the last election, and then vote to reward (or punish) the incumbent party…

Students at many public universities often have a substantial say in what they will pay for the construction of non-academic facilities usually through referenda in which they vote to enact fees to cover the debt service on the building. However, some students are reluctant to vote in any new fee, given that tuition regularly increases at…

How can teachers get today's students--and tomorrow's voters--really interested in the presidential election? At Moorestown Friends School, a coed Quaker preK-12 day school in Moorestown, New Jersey, the students participate in a simulated presidential selection process that leaves them energized and informed about the candidates and the issues.…

This guide was prepared to help elementary and secondary social studies teachers use the 1984 elections as a tool to teach about American government and politics. The goal is to help students use their town, country, or city as their classroom and to use newspapers, community resources, campaign materials and activities, and the broadcast media as…

It is possible that human capital produces positive externalities to the society indirectly, through non-market channels such as health or crime. Another such channel could be the effect of education on the functioning of democratic decision-making. Measures of the functioning of democracy are bound to be controversial, but one such measure--voter…

In this article, the authors describe a lesson that helps elementary students build a sense of citizenship and moral consciousness about justice. Children participated in the struggle for civil and voting rights in Selma and in other places in the South during the 1960s. Initially, it was children's literature that sparked these third grade…

Lessons to help K-12 students in Indiana learn about elections are provided. Indiana educators are required by law to provide for all students in grades 6-12 within the two weeks preceding each general election five full recitation periods of class discussion concerning the U.S. system of government, voting methods, party structures, and election…

Guides and resources in this kit are prepared for a six week to two month secondary voter education course. The objectives are to prepare and motivate eligible students to register and vote in the presidential election, to participate in the presidential election campaigning, and to increase their overall knowledge concerning the presidential…