Elections, Parties, and Pressure Groups
Additional Activities

• Research the positions of a variety of national and Virginia political groups on issues of interest to the students. Based on their research, have students draw the political spectrum and locate these national and Virginia political groups on the spectrum.
  
  
• Analyze specific campaign advertisements and other tactics to identify propaganda and bias. Conduct a survey to determine how effective these advertisements and other tactics are in winning voters.
  
  
• Select a third party that is still active. Research its candidates, issues, and success.
  Design a platform for two or three parties with issues that are important to young people. Hold a mock election among the parties, and analyze the results.
  
  
• Simulate a debate between two candidates for office (national, state, or local).