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  • Teaching "Geography of Elections" - Descriptive Transcript

    Note: This video was released in January 2021. At the time, there were 338 federal electoral districts. There are now 343, as new boundaries and electoral districts came into effect at the 2025 general election. Visual: White screen with the Elections Canada logo in the bottom right corner. An animated purple line moves across the screen and turns into an X ...

  • Teaching "Mapping Electoral Districts" - Descriptive Transcript

    Note: This video was released in January 2021. At the time, there were 338 federal electoral districts. There are now 343, as new boundaries and electoral districts came into effect at the 2025 general election. Visual: White screen with the Elections Canada logo in the bottom right corner. An animated red line moves across the screen and turns into an X ...

  • Teaching "Voting Rights through Time" - Descriptive Transcript

    Date of publication: January 2021 Visual: White screen with the Elections Canada logo in the bottom right corner. An animated green line moves across the screen and turns into an X. The X turns sideways, splits and disappears from view. The title, Teaching Voting Rights through Time appears on a white background. Visual: Live action begins with a medium shot ...

  • Virtual professional development workshops

    Elections Canada can support groups of educators in teaching elections and democracy with a virtual professional development (PD) workshop. We tailor each virtual session to the needs of your group. You can use our resources in classes beyond civics and citizenship, including geography, history, language arts, media studies, and even math. Our virtual PD ...

  • Election vocabulary

    Ballot: A piece of paper used to vote in an election. Ballot box: A box with a narrow slot on top into which voters place their ballots. Campaign: The time before an election when political parties and candidates explain their ideas and try to convince people to vote for them. In a federal election, the campaign lasts for 36 to 50 days. Platform: A political ...

  • Candidate list

    To help voters mark their numbered ballots, write the names of the candidates and political parties next to the number that corresponds to them on the ballot below. Tape this sample ballot inside the voting screen.

  • Speech template

    Use this template to write a 1-minute campaign speech to convince voters to vote for you. My name is (name) and I represent (party name). Our party believes that … (describe the issue) This matters because … (give some reasons, using your research) Our idea to improve our school is … This will help by … (give one or two examples) If elected, we will make ...

  • Campaign research notes

    Use this guide to take point-form notes. Our party’s name: Our chosen issue: What other students think about the issue: Notes on the other parties’ platforms: What could we do with this information? What questions might voters ask our candidate? What answers could we give?

  • Ballots

    Copy the number of ballots you will need for your class. If there are fewer than six candidates, you may cut the ballots down to the required size. The ballot includes the following information: Candidate 1 Candidate 2 Candidate 3 Candidate 4 Candidate 5 Candidate 6

  • Exit card - Election Simulation Toolkit

    After the lesson, invite students to reflect on the following prompts: What did you learn about your roles in today’s simulation? Do you think our election was fair? How do you think the process helps to keep the election fair? What questions do you have now?

  • Blank ballots

    Blank ballots are optional. To create your own ballots, copy the number of blank ballots you will need for your class.

  • Role cards

    Candidate My role: I run for election as the candidate for a political party. Before the campaign I help the whole party decide on the issue that matters most to us I help decide on a party name for our group I work with my speechwriter to create a good campaign speech using the Speech template I practise delivering the speech and improve my presentation ...