This Desmos activity will lead students through a lesson on three voting methods: Plurality, Instant Run-Off, and Borda Count. The students will take the results of a classroom election or from Meet the Candidates (Before Activity) to determine a winner using each of these three methods. The students will see the weakness of plurality when there are three or more candidates. This lesson will show that not every voting system is perfect, and that each has its strengths and weaknesses. It will also promote thought, discussion, and understanding of the various methods of voting.
In this activity, students will use an exit ticket to describe the pros and cons of the voting methods: Pluarilty, Instant Run-Off, and Borda Count. The exit ticket will be used to evaluate students' understanding of the voting methods.
In this learning activity, students will be introduced to four candidates in an election for the Best Smiley Face. Students will watch the candidates introduce themselves and then vote for their favorite candidate by ranking the candidates from their first choice to their fourth choice. The goal of this video lesson is to teach students about new and exciting ways of holding an election that they may not be aware of. This activity should be used as an introductory activity to identify a variety of voting methods. The during and after activities can be found in the Comment Section of this lesson.
