Election Ambassadors Corps
Preparing the next generation for civic and political life is a constant endeavor, and no single project or approach is up to the task. But for the greater Philadelphia-area, Seventy welcomes high school students to spend a few hours in the classroom learning about Philadelphia elections and a few hours at their local polling site speaking to voters and seeing democracy in action.
Hundreds of students have participated in the ELECTION AMBASSADOR PROGRAM since its 2015 launch, learning about the upcoming election and why voting matters, assisting voters with questions about voting procedures and conducting an exit survey about various voting-related topics.
Read more about the program on our Election Ambassador one-pager and sign up your class to participate.
Election Ambassador Curriculum
The Election Abassadors Program includes a week-long Seventy curriculum module on voting and elections that covers why voting matters, the upcoming election, and the role of Election Ambassadors. Once the module is completed students will be prepared to answer voters' questions, administer an exit survey and collect sample ballots.
Lesson One - Voting Past and Present
In this lesson students will learn how our country's history of limiting voting rights has changed over time and impacts current voting patterns by enganging with videos and tailored worksheets.
In this lesson students will look at examples of close elections in and around Philadelphia in order to understand why voting in all elections is important.
Lesson Three - Researching the Local Election
In this lesson students will research who is on the ballot using the Committee of Seventy Voter Guide. Students will also familiarize themselves with the ballot questions that will appear on the ballot.
Lesson Four - Voting in Pennsylvania
In this lesson students will learn the requirements to vote in Philadelphia. They will explore the barriers to voting and be able to propose changes.
Lesson Five - Becoming an Election Ambassador
In the last lesson students will learn how to become a Committee of Seventy Election Ambassador by reviewing the handbook and powerpoint on the Election Ambassador program. Don't forget to make sure all students submit a permission slip before participating.
Student teams are also encouraged to recover pictures of sample ballots and other partisan literature outside polling places. These powerful tools are used by campaigns, political parties and others to provide suggested ballot selections and are particularly effective for down ballot races with which many voters are unfamiliar.
If interested in offering the Election Ambassador program at your school, contact Lauren Cristella at lcristella@seventy.org.