Voting Trends in America, 1964-2020

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Voting Trends in America, 1964-2020

Activity Description

This activity is designed to be part of a unit on the U.S. Constitution, as it focuses on U.S. voting trends. Students will analyze bar and line graphs showing the percentages of people (by race, age, sex, region, and education) who voted in elections between 1964 and 2020. Students will use these data to respond to the question “Who votes in American elections?”

Suggested Grade Level

5-6

Approximate Time Required

45-60 minutes

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to read and understand several years of data presented in bar graphs and line graphs.
Students will be able to identify voting trends by race, year, and region.
Students will be able to compare, analyze, and evaluate voting information to write a response.

Materials Required

The student version of this activity, 11 pages; it contains images that should be printed in color.
Teacher computer with Internet access and a projector to display web sites

Activity Items

The following items are part of this activity. Items, their sources, and any relevant instructions for viewing them online appear at the end of this teacher version.

Percent Voting by Race and Region of Total Voting-Age Population in Presidential Elections
Percent Registering and Voting by Race and Hispanic or Latino Origin, Presidential Elections
Voting Graphs, Presidential Elections, 2020

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Download Student Version