This study employs NES (National Election Survey) data from several presidential elections to investigate the effects of presidential debate watching on voters' issue knowledge, character evaluation, and vote choice. Debates can instill issue knowledge; however, voters are less likely to learn about incumbent presidents seeking re-election after a…

Maintains that the expansion of voting rights to African Americans and women is an appropriate topic for Social Studies courses. Discusses suffrage in New York state between 1848 and 1920. Includes a table depicting the women's suffrage campaign in New York state and a list of other resources on the topic. (CFR)

Asserts that the United States has a long, sad history of discrimination against minority rights. Discusses the origins and history of minority inclusion or affirmative action programs. Includes a special report on the "English Only" movement. (CFR)

For students of history, the acrimonious and contentious 1876 presidential canvass came to mind during the 2000 election imbroglio. Democrat Samuel J. Tilden won the popular vote, but to the dismay of outraged Democrats, an electoral commission of eight Republicans and seven Democrats decided along strict party lines to give twenty disputed…

The impact of involvement in high school athletics and nonsport extracurricular activities on political engagement among young Black adults was examined. We developed a conceptual model to identify school engagement factors and assess their influence on political participation (i.e., voter registration and voting behavior) of Blacks in early…

Political events both in the United States and around the world have led to a resurgence of interest in citizenship education. With this in mind, we conducted a study in rural schools to determine the perceptions of eighth and eleventh grade students regarding citizenship. We wanted to find out what rural students believe are the attributes of a…

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…

This Oregon curriculum resource guide about elections is intended for use by secondary social studies teachers who may already be teaching about elections, but need additional information and ideas to integrate into their classes. The guide is organized so that teachers may select individual lessons and activities to use in the existing…

This basic voter resource book can be used as the basis for a self-contained unit or as a supplement to the Young Voter Campaign of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. Materials, which are suitable for use in secondary social studies, government, and history courses, are divided into five parts. Following an introduction, Part…

This material is produced to provide a program to instruct secondary level students in the political, governmental, and legal processes and to encourage active student participation in these processes. The materials draw heavily upon community cooperation as a base for practical learning. Part of a year-long curriculum, this unit focusing on voter…

This booklet deals with three ways in which to be an active citizen in a democracy: voting, communicating with elected officials, and volunteering. Words about citizenship that may be new to the reader are in bold print and underlined; a word box at the top of the page provides the meaning of specially marked words on that page. Part 1 on voting…

Results of a research project which hypothisized that: Other things being equal, the heavier a candidate's usage of broadcast advertising in a primary election campaign, the greater will be his share of the votes in the election. (Author/HB)

Results of a research project which hypothisized that: Other things being equal, the heavier a candidate's usage of broadcast advertising in a primary election campaign, the greater will be his share of the votes in the election. (Author/HB)

A critical national problem facing the United States is the steady decline in voting of the citizenry. Surveys of the 44 largest public school systems from across the country and of 100 corporations from the Fortune 500 group as well as individual interviews and roundtable discussions with teachers, executives, members of Congress, local and state…