By Deliberating in a Democracy in the Americas

This lesson is designed to promote the teaching and learning of democratic principles and the skills of civic deliberation. Students complete a reading (available in English, Spanish, and Audio-English) and engage in a Structured Academic Controversy.

Question for deliberation: Should voting be compulsory in our democracy?

Objectives

At the conclusion of this lesson, students will be able to:
-Define compulsory voting.
-Compare voting practices in their country to practices in other countries.
-List at least three reasons to support and three reasons to oppose compulsory voting.
-Describe the importance of voting in democratic societies.
-Explain how voting connects to basic principles of democracy, including which principles
may be in conflict when considering compulsory voting.
-Identify areas of agreement and disagreement with other students.
-Reach a decision, individually and collectively, on the deliberation issue using evidence and
sound reasoning.
-Explain the importance of deliberating this question in a democratic society.

Go to: Voting (DDA) ^[1]