Who Gets to Vote, and How Votes Become Seats · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Who votes and how votes count

Civics & Economics · Government · ages 14-16
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Ten votes split four, three and three. Who wins the single seat under plurality voting?

    • The candidate who received three votes
    • No candidate, because none won over half
    • The candidate who received four votes

  2. Which account matches the United States voting protections concerning sex and age?

    • Separate amendments protected voting regardless of sex, then from age 18
    • Separate amendments protected voting from age 18, then regardless of sex
    • One amendment introduced both protections together after the same campaign

  3. What did the Silent Sentinels seek by picketing the White House?

    • To secure voting rights for younger adults
    • To gain voting rights for women
    • To change how presidential votes were counted

  4. Ten seats are allocated exactly in proportion to vote shares. Party A has 60 percent of the votes. How many seats does A receive?

    Answer: ______________

  5. Four districts each elect one member by first-past-the-post. In every district A gets 7 votes and B gets 3. What are the seat totals?

    • Party A: 4 seats; Party B: 0 seats
    • Party A: 3 seats; Party B: 1 seat
    • Party A: 2 seats; Party B: 2 seats

  6. There are 12 valid votes in an election. What is the smallest number of votes a candidate needs for a majority?

    Answer: ______________

  7. Two towns have the same eligibility and counting rules. Other conditions are similar, but one has nearer polling sites and hours that fit work schedules. Which prediction is best supported?

    • Turnout may be similar, because equal eligibility means equal practical access
    • Turnout may be similar, because polling hours affect seat totals rather than participation
    • Turnout may be higher at nearer sites, because travel and work barriers are reduced

  8. Ten districts each award one seat. Each has 7 votes for A and 3 for B. Compare first-past-the-post with allocating ten seats exactly in proportion to the pooled votes. Which totals follow?

    • FPTP: A 7, B 3; proportional: A 10, B 0
    • FPTP: A 10, B 0; proportional: A 7, B 3
    • FPTP: A 10, B 0; proportional: A 5, B 5
LightMySky · lightmysky.comW1-mt_nteHv_swOv-s1

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Who votes and how votes count W1-mt_nteHv_swOv-s1

  1. The candidate who received four votes · Four is the largest total. Plurality requires the most votes, not more than half.
  2. Separate amendments protected voting regardless of sex, then from age 18 · The Nineteenth Amendment addressed sex in 1920. The Twenty-sixth addressed age in 1971. These were separate reforms.
  3. To gain voting rights for women · The Silent Sentinels demanded voting rights for women. Their campaign concerned who could vote, not the presidential counting method.
  4. 6 · 60 percent is 6/10. Multiplying 10 seats by 6/10 gives 6 seats.
  5. Party A: 4 seats; Party B: 0 seats · A wins each district because 7 exceeds 3. Four district wins give A all four seats.
  6. 7 · A majority is more than half. Half of 12 is 6, so the smallest majority is 7 votes.
  7. Turnout may be higher at nearer sites, because travel and work barriers are reduced · Nearer sites and suitable hours reduce practical barriers. That supports a prediction of higher turnout, although the result remains uncertain.
  8. FPTP: A 10, B 0; proportional: A 7, B 3 · A wins all ten districts. Pooled votes are A 70 and B 30, so exact proportional allocation gives A 7 seats and B 3.
Worksheet · LightMySky