Elections

2020 is a Presidential election year! But who decided which years will hold elections, and how did we come up with this method of choosing a President? How long have elections been around, anyway? What happens to our ballots after we cast a vote? Kids may not be old enough to vote, but they’re certainly full of questions. These issues of COBBLESTONE Magazine, intended for young readers from age 9 to 14, are a primer for all things to do with this political process. Go back to the earliest days of the USA to find out why the electoral college was developed and see how it functions today—and why it makes a difference in some elections! See how political parties first developed from the feud between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson and visit some memorable elections throughout history.

But voting hasn’t always been available to everyone. Only white men who owned property could cast a ballot in our country’s earliest Americans. Meet the activists who campaigned to exercise their right to vote and find out how kids can participate in the political process. These issues are a great addition to a social studies or government classroom—or an excellent way to answer your own children’s questions about the upcoming election!