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LESSON:
ANALYZING FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS
Critical Analysis
By Lisa Iverson
Subject
Areas: Most social studies classes
Time:
This lesson is intended to take one class period, two with extension.
Overview:
Students will brainstorm the qualities of a "free and fair" election,
compare them to the U.S. Department of State criteria and apply those
qualities to the upcoming election in Nigeria.
Objectives:
Students
will:
- Work in
cooperative groups and brainstorm what qualities are necessary in order
for an election to be classified as "free and fair." Begin
with school elections.
- Compare
the "free and fair" elections list composed by students to
the characteristics published by the United States Department of State.
- Rank the
characteristics of a "free and fair" election in order of
importance based on evaluation and class discussion.
- Read background
information pertaining to the upcoming 2007 presidential elections.
- Evaluate
the elections in Nigeria and determine if they will be free and fair.
- Write
a R.A.F.T. paper. (Role-Audience-Format-Topic)
Materials:
Students will need copies of the handouts and articles cited below
or computers with Internet access.
Correlations
to National Standards
Procedure:
1. Background
Provide your students with some background information on Nigeria's April
2007 presidential election.
Nigerian
President Olusegun Obasanjo's historic term is nearly over. Obasanjo
won the 1999 election, becoming the first president to lead a civilian
government after 15 years of military rule. Despite allegations of voter
tampering, the elections were hailed as evidence that democracy spread
to Africa's most populous nation. Today Nigeria's future is at stake:
accusations of corruption plague Obasanjo's administration and violence
is escalating in the oil-rich Niger Delta. The April 21, 2007 election
will mark the first civilian transfer of power, and the third election
in Nigeria's history. The idea of a "free and fair" election
is not new; however, the wave of democratization in the 1990s led to
a widespread call for unified criteria as to what constitutes a "free
and fair" election process.
2. "Free
and Fair" Elections
- Introduce
the concept of "free and fair" elections. Place students in
small, cooperative groups and have them brainstorm the qualities necessary
for a "free and fair" election. In order to connect with the
students' experiences, the instructor may want to pose the question
of what qualities a school election must possess in order to be classified
as "free and fair."
- After
listing the qualities a student council election must have, then ask
if there are attributes added to the list when discussing a national
election. Are there significant differences between the lists? Similarities?
- Distribute
copies of the U.S. State Department list of essential qualities for
a "fair and free" election. (http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/principles/election.htm)
(printer-friendly PDF)
- Compare
lists and rank determining if the students strongly agree or disagree.
Are there any discrepancies with the students' list and the State Department?
- Students
use Internet for background research determining if the elections in
Nigeria will meet or have met "free and fair" criteria. This
may be completed independently or teacher may share facts about the
election with students and the class can determine if the elections
are worthy of the "free and fair" distinction.
3. R.A.F.T.
Students
complete R.A.F.T. written assignment. (See instructor
handout for detailed explanation.)
Evaluation:
Students
will be evaluated based on their participation and their submission of
a R.A.F.T. Paper
Extension
Activities:
- Discuss
the 26th amendment regarding the voting age. -- Is 18 a "fair"
age?
- Evaluate
the last presidential election in the United States and determine if
it was "free and fair."
- Create
a timeline of key events in Nigeria's history.
- Research
and examine the conflict in the Niger Delta region by reading and evaluating
newspaper articles.
- Have class
create a master list of minimum requirements for a "free and fair"
election.
- Visual
Vocabulary: Students define and create a visual symbol of the vocabulary
terms connected to this topic. They may cut and paste from the computer
or draw their own symbol. For instance, a ballot box may be used to
illustrate democracy.
Vocabulary
Terms:
- Free and
fair elections
- coup
- rule of
law
- democracy
- civilian
rule
- junta
- military
rule
- suffrage
Related
Links:
*Note: These links are useful prior to the election. After the election,
a new search may be undertaken with more appropriate links.
U.S. Department of State list of necessary requirements for a "free
and fair" election:
http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/principles/election.htm
The Forum for International Policy special report on the upcoming Nigerian
elections and the consequences and political impact for Africa and the
world:
http://www.ffip.com/internbrief09022006.htm
The White House commends Obasanjo's pledge to democracy in not attempting
to amend the constitution and seek a third term:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/05/20060526-2.html
Institute of Peace special report on the upcoming elections:
http://www.usip.org/pubs/specialreports/sr182.pdf
U.S. Department of State article: Democracy Dialogue Free and Fair elections:
http://usinfo.state.gov/dd/eng_democracy_dialogues/elections/elections_essay.html
C.I.A. fact book contains statistics about the nations of the world-go
to Nigeria:
https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html
International
Republican Institute -- Nigerian 2007 Pre-National Elections Assessment:
http://www.iri.org/africa/nigeria/pdfs/2007-02-01-Pre-electionAssessment.pdf
National Standards:
NCSS
Thematic Strands:
III. People, Places, and Environments
Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the
study of people, places and environments.
V. Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the
study of interactions among individuals, groups and institutions.
VI. Power, Authority, and Governance
Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the
study of how people create and change structures of power, authority and
governance.
IX. Global Connections
Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the
study of people, places and environments.
X. Civic Ideas and Practice
Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the
study of the ideals, principles and practices of citizenship in a democratic
republic.
Author
Lisa Iverson, M.S., is a social studies educator at Cascade High School
in Turner, Ore. She serves on the Oregon Council for the Social Studies
Board.
To find
out more about opportunities to contribute to this site, contact Leah
Clapman at extra@newshour.org.
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