Educating About Elections in a Partisan Age
by Abby Kiesa, Leah Bueso, Erica Hodgin, and Joseph Kahne
This article shares lessons from committed and inspirational educators from across the country with whom we at the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) worked in 2020. Their experiences reinforce that nonpartisan teaching about democracy is possible (i.e., not teaching who to vote for, but rather how the system of voting operates in the United States). Education about voting and elections builds generations of lifelong voters, and this is imperative to a country that values the full and thoughtful participation of its people.
K-12 educators who want to provide learning experiences that increase the likelihood of election participation should focus on promoting informed and equitable youth voting in nonpartisan ways. In the United States, schools are specially equipped to do this work because they can scaffold learning and development over time and reach a diverse group of young people. In doing so, schools can play an important role in teaching about voting, elections, and how to support more equitable access to participation in elections.