Author: Ashleigh Barber

The Kavanaugh Question

Posted on by Ashleigh Barber

Although Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s appointment was ultimately successful, the question remains of whether or not it will be an instance of winning the battle but losing the war with regard to the 2018 midterm elections.

Some commentators have suggested that had Justice Kavanaugh’s confirmation failed, it might have sparked a backlash among voters in both parties who did not see the accusations against him as credible or did not believe the handling of those allegations was fair. Some commentators have also argued that despite Justice Kavanaugh’s successful confirmation, such a backlash could still be in play and could compromise Democrats’ gains in the midterms.

On the other hand, some observers have suggested that Democrats’ anger over Justice Kavanaugh’s confirmation could be the very thing that galvanizes voters to choose Democratic candidates and leads to an even larger “Blue Wave.”

Source: FiveThirtyEight.com

Recent polls have shown an overall decline in the margin for Democrats, coinciding almost exactly with the start of the Kavanaugh hearings. In terms of the likelihood of retaking the two chambers of Congress, Democrats have seen an overall decline of 2-3 percent for the House of Representatives and 13-14 percent for the Senate. However, according to FiveThirtyEight.com, Democrats still maintain a 77.7 percent chance of retaking the House. The party’s chance of retaking the Senate, which most observers believed to be a long shot to begin with, is 18.5 percent.

Source: CNN/MSNBC

However, a CNN poll conducted after the hearings and completed immediately following Justice Kavanaugh’s confirmation showed Democrats with a 13 percent lead over Republicans among likely voters on a generic ballot.

Many questions still surround the midterms and the effects of the Kavanaugh hearings. Will Democrats’ anger fuel bigger turnout for the midterms? Has there in fact been a decline in support for Democrats? If so, is it a backlash to the Kavanaugh hearings or is it an example of voters “coming home” as Election Day draws closer?

Discussion and Exploration Questions

  1. Ask students to research how their senators voted on Justice Kavanaugh’s confirmation and what explanation, if any, the senators gave for their choices. Hold a discussion or a debate on whether students agree or disagree with the reasoning of their senators.
  2. Ask students to research how their senators voted on Justice Kavanaugh’s confirmation and whether or not one of their senators is up for reelection in 2018. If one of their senators is up for reelection, students should research how he/she and his/her opponents have discussed the Kavanaugh hearings. Can they find areas where decisions may have been politically motivated? How have constituents responded to the senator’s statements on the hearings?
  3. Justice Kavanaugh was confirmed with a 50-48 vote that largely followed party lines, with the exception of Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, voting “present” (not “yes” or “no”) and Senator Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., voting “yes.” Students should research their choices and motives. Have a discussion about how upcoming elections can affect the decisions of policymakers. Do students think this is a problem or in keeping with the idea of representative government?
  4. The 50-48 vote in favor of Justice Kavanaugh was the smallest margin of confirmation for a Supreme Court justice in 137 years. (In 1881, Justice Stanley Matthews was confirmed by a vote of 24-23.) What does this say about the state of government? Do students believe people are as divided as the government seems to be? What do they believe is the cause of this partisanship?

 

Hacking and the Midterms

Posted on by Ashleigh Barber
Source: The Orange County Register

As we continue to debate the role that hacking played in the 2016 election, government officials and others are grappling with the

future of American elections,especially next month’s midterm elections. People who are concerned with the long-term civic and political health of the United States understand that free and fair elections are a fundamental component of our democracy, and they are worried that a loss of trust in the electoral process could do serious damage to the country. Below, we suggest a few resources and discussion questions to help students think about the hacking of U.S. elections, and what to do about it.

When discussing hacking and other attempts to influence elections in ways that are less than ethical or transparent, terminology can be confusing. Remind students that although the term “hacking” is often used to describe efforts to influence the election, other activities (such as intentionally spreading false stories and creating online identities to sow discord and distrust) are part of the issue as well.

  1. Review with students some facts about the hacking and interference during the 2016 presidential election. For an overview, see this CNN round-up.
  2. Ask students: How does the idea that American elections are being tampered with make you feel about voting and government?
    • Are they sad? Angry?
    • Have they become less trustful of government and elections?
    • What do they think it does to the country if citizens are less trustful of the electoral process?
  3. Watch this seven-minute CBS News story about the hacking and what to do about it.
  4. Beginning at the video’s 4:25 mark, there is a brief discussion about the possible responses to interference in U.S. elections. They mention:
    • Creating a federal cybersecurity agency
    • Passing tighter online privacy laws at the state or federal level
    • Better self-policing by social media companies
  5. Ask students to discuss whether these ideas seem sufficient to address the problem and to brainstorm other possible responses. Some ideas might include:
    • Stiff penalties, such as sanctions or even military action, against countries that interfere with U.S. elections
    • Voting infrastructure updates, such as improved voting machines
    • Regulations on social media to make the creation of fake accounts more difficult
  6. Ask students to read this article in The Guardian, which explores different ways in which individuals and groups could interfere with the midterm elections.
  7. Ask students to discuss how high a priority it should be to shore up election security.
  8. Ask students: What do you think would happen, and what should happen, if the United States holds an election and people don’t believe the results?

If you’ve discussed election hacking and interference with your students, what did you talk about? What were their ideas and responses? Feel free to share any resources you used in the comments below!

 

Youth Voting: Is It the Issues?

Posted on by Ashleigh Barber

Why do young people vote at lower rates than other groups? There are a number of possible reasons. Today, we will look at one possible factor: that the political arena does not address the concerns of young voters. Below, you’ll find a discussion guide and a few resources to help students think about the decision to vote—or not to vote.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau
  • Ask students: If you were to vote in the upcoming election, what would be the most important issues that would determine who you would support? You may want to divide students into smaller groups to come up with issues that can then be shared with the class as a whole. Write down some of the issues that they offer, and place them into categories (Education/Health Care/etc.).

 

  • Either post or hand out the responses to this Gallup poll from September 2018, which asked “What do you think is the most important problem facing the country today?”

    Source: Gallup

 

  • Ask students to compare their responses with those of the poll’s respondents. Do they see any differences? If so, what are they? Why do they think those differences exist?

 

  • Have students list issues that they see various campaigns addressing. They should think about the issues that they hear politicians talking about, as well as issues raised in campaign advertisements on television and social media.

 

  • Ask students to compare their concerns with the issues that the campaigns are addressing. Are campaigns addressing the issues they care most about? If not, askthem why they think that is. Ask if they believe this is a factor in why young people vote at lower rates than older voters.

 

  • Have students look at the graph below or read this Washington Post article. Have them explain what the graph demonstrates (that the actual turnout rate of young voters is lower than that of older voters, and that young voters make up a much smaller portion of the electorate than older voters). Ask them if this graph explains to some extent why politicians do not address the issues that young people are concerned about.

    Source: Harvard IOP Pill

 

As a follow-up, have students think about ways to get campaigns to address the issues they care about. Remind them that when it comes to young people and voting, youth turnout can be a “chicken or the egg” riddle: Do politicians ignore the issues that matter to young people because young people don’t vote? Or do young people not vote because politicians ignore the issues that matter to them?

 

Tracking the Election

Posted on by Ashleigh Barber

A few ways to keep students engaged with the midterm elections include tracking public opinion polling in your state, keeping track of national trends, and monitoring important Senate, House, and gubernatorial races. Begin by visiting the following links:

Some questions you might discuss with your students include:

  1. What are the most competitive races in our state?
  2. What issues seem to be driving the campaigns in our state? What issues do we hear discussed in television and radio advertisements or on the local news?
  3. What do you hope will be the outcome of the congressional elections? Why?

For our more detailed overview, along with additional discussion questions, see our guide to the 2018 Midterm Elections.

 

Sources:
Image credit: Time.com – Frederic J. Brown–AFP/Getty Images

 

Teaching the 2018 Midterms

Posted on by Ashleigh Barber

The 2018 midterm elections are upon us and control of Congress is at stake! For most people, the election will be less than 75 days away when the school year starts, and state primaries may already be over.

Preparing new voters
In the months leading up to Election Day, we will use this blog space to help educators teach the issues that candidates are debating, teach about democracy and voting, and place the 2018 election in context for students. In addition to connecting you to news stories, opinion pieces, and campaign videos, we will share our own resources as well as resources created by our partners in the Teaching for Democracy Alliance.

 

We look forward to engaging with you, answering your questions, and hearing about your efforts to inform and inspire a new generation of voters!

 

About the Blog

Posted on by Ashleigh Barber

Teaching the news is time consuming and complicated; by the time you are able to find and process important issues and identify how to teach them, they are old news. This site will be updated frequently with links to classroom-ready news items, relevant context, and suggested teaching activities and discussion questions.

Teaching Controversial Issues

We know from experience that students often struggle to make sense of the news and political debates, to identify the strengths and weaknesses of competing ideas and arguments, and to engage respectfully and thoughtfully in deliberation. It is easier than ever for people to find only the news they want and more difficult than ever to stay abreast of government decisions and other issues. Furthermore, the level of political polarization across the nation can make teaching political and social issues seem overwhelming. However, these challenges facing teachers and our democracy only make it more critical than ever to help students engage in meaningful political discussions in the classroom.

Our aim is to show how the political world is and can be a curriculum. We intend to explore the ways in which controversial public issues can connect to socialstudies, humanities, and literature curricula; to guide teachers as you translate real-world events into classroom content; and to offer insight for navigating sometimes thorny political discussions in the classroom. We hope that you leave feeling better prepared to guide your students as they navigate today’s most pressing public policy issues.

We hope that you find this site and our resources useful in engaging your students in meaningful debates and discussions. Please be in touch with us through this blog and through social media to help guide our work. We want this site to be as useful to teachers as possible.