How to be a better Voter!

1. How to be a better Voter! First Colonial Senior Jacob Ramsey

2. Who am I? • My name is Jacob Ramsey • Senior at First Colonial High School in the Legal Studies Academy

3. Why am I here? • This is part of my senior project! • I’m here to help you students become better voters!

4. What is an Election?

5. Please take a few moments to take the pre-assessment!Answer the questions to the best of your ability!

6. What is a election? • An election is a organized system in which people vote in order to elect someone.

7. What are the basics of an Election? • Who is the president of the United States of America?

8. What are the basics of an Election? • What is a majority? • What is a minority?

9. What are the positions in SCA? • President • Vice President • Treasurer • Secretary • Historian

10. President-is in charge of all other members of the SCA and calls meetings to order. Vice President-fills in for the president when they are not there to make sure that the assembly continues. Treasurer- keeps track of money. Secretary-Keeps time logs to make sure that certain members aren’t skipping and that everyone has good attendance. Historian-takes pictures, crates videos, and keeps a history of what the SCA has done. What does each position do?

11. What to look for in a candidate?

12. What to look for when voting! • Decide what you are looking for in a candidate.  • Find out about the candidates • Gather materials about the candidates

13. What to look for when voting! • Evaluate candidates' stands on issues • Learn about the candidates' leadership abilities • Learn how other people view the candidate • Sorting it all out

14. Lets go one by one!

15. Decide what you are looking for in a candidate • As a citizen or student, your are electing candidates to represent you interests. • You want to decide what the person representing should stand for.

16. Find out about the candidates • People past often represent what they are going to do in the future. • Look and see if the person you are voting for has a history of detentions, beats people up for their lunch money, or has been caught stealing snacks at lunch. • Someone who is a bad person should no represent you and make you look like a bad person.

17. Gather materials about the candidates • Many candidates and organizations will offer material that will offer you facts and information about the candidate. • Your job as a voter is to separate fact from fiction and separate the truth and opinions.

18. Look into if the candidate has been a part of something before. Is this there first time running for an office, or have they been a secretary or vice president. Look at the materials the candidate gives out and look threw for the facts. Look at qualities that have insight to the leadership abilities of the candidate. Learn about the candidates' leadership abilities

19. Ask your friends what they think about a candidate. Getting the viewpoint of a friend can help you see things that were not clear to you before. Look into who is helping the candidate run the campaign. Are they getting help from there mother or friends in another grade, or maybe from a club. Try and find out why a certain candidate is being supported by a particular group. Learn how other people view the candidate

20. Evaluate candidates' stands on issues • One of the most important things in an election are the issues. • Identify what is important to you and then compare this to how a candidate feels about the issue.

21. Which candidate view on issues do you agree with most? Who ran the fairest campaign? Which candidate seemed to have the greatest knowledge on the subject? Which candidate can you confidently put your trust in? Sorting it all out!

22. What to look for when voting! • Lets put the skills you just learned to the test! • The Bikini Bottom elections are coming up and Spongebob and Squidward are running for mayor. The highly issue is whether jellyfishing fields should be expanded in Bikini Bottom. • Your job is to look at the two flyers for the candidates and deicide using the skills you just learned to decided which candidate you will vote for.

23. Vote for Spongebob! • Spongebob is a dedicated fry cook who has served the crusty crab and bikini bottom food for over 20 year! Spongebob has also been the president of the bikini bottom Jellyfishing association for 5 years. If elected mayor spongebob promises to lower the price of school lunches and expand the recess time for all students! He also wants to expand the jellyfishing fields so that everyone has a chance to enjoy the great sport! • Spongebob is endorsed by the National Association for jelly fishing. • Spongebob is endorsed by the National Association for Fry Cooks. • Spongebob study for 4 years and recvied his college degree in jellyfishing from Bikini Bottom University.

24. Vote for Squidward! • Squidward has worked as cashier as a cashier at a local restaurant for over 30 years and a clarinet enthusiast. Squidward has been a longtime opponent of jellyfishing and if he is elected mayor he will close the jellyfishing fields and open a park for the arts. Squidward has been the president and only member of the Bikini Bottom clarinet society for 10 years. Squidward has never gone jellyfishing before and thinks that they are gross creatures that should not be allowed to stay around Bikini Bottom. • Squidward is endorsed by the Bikini Bottom Clarinet Society. • Squidward is endorsed by the Bikini Bottom Center for the Performing Arts. • Squidward is endorsed by his mother.

25. Who is the new Mayor? • What was the major issue and what stance did each candidate have on the major issue? • Who did you vote for and why did you vote for that person? • What is wrong with the other candidate?

26. Thank you! • Thank you for making this possible! • Special thanks to Ms. Clark and the SCA sponsors! • Please take the post-assessment and show me what you learned!