Explore general elections, voting, electoral systems and the history and development of universal suffrage.
Our elections resources online
You can access a range of different types of content exploring elections and voting.
Parliament explained articles
Get the basics about elections and Parliament - in plain English. This section of our site is aimed at 11-16 year olds.
- General elections and voting - A good basic overview of parliamentary elections.
- Referendums - Looks at the place of referendums in our democracy and gives examples from UK history, including the recent Alternative Vote referendum.
Online games
Becoming an MP - it's what all the candidates are fighting for. MP For A Week is a multi-level game aimed at 11-16 year olds. The resource lets students step into the shoes of a backbench MP.
- Play MP For A Week - Can you keep your party and voters happy? And what about the media? A special menu lets teachers jump straight to any individual activity or video in the game.
- MP For A Week: Teachers' guide - Here's some help for teachers wanting to get the most out of this flexible resource.
Film and video
In the award-winning film The General Election Xplained, comedian Jay Foreman explains the election process in a fun and accessible way, and takes a look at the outcome in 2010. Separate versions are available for key stage three and key stages four to five. There's also an eight minute cut if you're short of time.
You can also browse our video bank and find a number of short clips and films covering voting and elections. Suitable for 11-18 year olds.
Interactive whiteboard resources
Full of animations, quizzes and other activities, Elections and Voting is an engaging, interactive presentation tool to help students put the UK voting system into context.
Lesson plans
Check out these lesson plans for exploring elections, voting and the history of the suffragette movement.
- KS2: Suffragettes - Students are asked to think about the inequalities faced by women in the past.
- KS3: Suffragettes - Students consider the methods and effectiveness of action undertaken by suffragettes.
- KS3: People and Parliament - Two sessions look at how people become MPs and peers and the democratic process.
- KS4: Suffragettes - Students create a balanced newspaper article discussing topics such as militant action and imprisonment.
- KS4: Voting - Two sessions on voting rights of UK citizens today and how these developed over time.
Elections content for teachers and students from www.parliament.uk
Living Heritage resources
KS3 and KS4 citizenship teachers and students may find the Living Heritage collections of articles, timelines, podcasts and other sources useful for exploring voting rights and the development of universal suffrage.
- Women and the vote - Get to grips with the suffragettes and the barriers they overcame to win the right to vote.
- Chartist movement - Investigate the 19th-century struggle to extend the vote to everyone over 18.
- The Reform Acts - Examine how representative government was extended in the 18th century.
Video and audio
This podcast on the suffragette movement makes use of interviews with a number of players in Parliament.
House of Commons Library
Experts in the House of Commons Library frequently research and report on topics to support the work of MPs. Well researched, library papers are often a good place to find interesting data and credible secondary sources.
Art in Parliament
Elections and electioneering in the past have frequently provided artists with lively colourful subjects. Check out dozens of election-inspired paintings and works of art from Parliament's rich collection.
Best of the web
We've chosen some free online education resources useful for supporting teaching and learning in citizenship, modern studies and political literacy.
Electoral Commission
'Do Politics' is a resource hub with case studies, practical materials, advice and guidance for all practitioners - including youth workers and teachers - aiming to increase voter awareness and registration.
Electoral systems
Information about a range of voting systems, including first past the post and proportional systems. Resources include voting system summaries, animations, lesson plans, and a chance to explore the arguments for and against each one.
BBC Scotland: Modern Studies revision
Standard grade Bitesize and Higher Bitesize are the easy-to-use revision websites from BBC Scotland.
In the media: General Election 2010
The major media outlets provide analysis, stories and a few pretty powerful interactive resources. Interactive election maps are all the rage in 2010.
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