Elections

Over the next few months, many classrooms will be discussing the upcoming U.S. presidential election. While some teachers will focus on the art of the campaign, others will examine the candidates’ political platforms, their speeches, and the all-important debates. For many citizens, the debates between Mitt Romney and President Obama may well determine how they will cast their votes in November. Presidential debates are critical to the election process because they allow voters to see how well-versed the candidates are in the areas of domestic and foreign policy, the national economy, social issues, the national debt, and a host of other matters.

With the U.S. presidential election less than a month away, the presidential campaigns are in full swing. Each candidate is busy raising campaign funds and vying with each other to promote their messages and views. It’s a fortuitous time to show students how the campaign process works, and how voter attitudes often change over time. Inevitably, many early frontrunners fizzle out, while other political contenders slog along in the shadows until some aspect of their campaign happens to catch the popular imagination. While political campaigns are often viewed as either high drama or theatres of the absurd, they are still a vitally important element in the democratic process.