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By far the most useful interactive guide we've seen, this flash module from the NY Times lets students see the effects of electoral voting, create "what if" scenarios, see where the money comes from, and view the details of races for the house and senate. This picture is worth far more than 1,000 words. The site highlights the 2004 election, but could easily be used to predict future elections. There is also a link to past elections. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
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Use a clickable national map to analyze the 2006 races for governor, senate, and house in all 50 states. See recent polling data, historical trends, and even predict outcomes to see their impact on Congress as a whole. You can save your "scenarios" for future reference. Note: you must join the New York Times online (FREE), a valuable resource for any classroom. You can make one account, and multiple computers can log in at once. Just don't forget your user name and password!

Although this resource was created for the 2006 election, the background information is valuable for teaching about elections in general and for comparing elections as part of U.S. history.
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If it's a college, why doesn't it have a football team? Unfortunately, that's about the level of understanding about the Electoral College among many students. Once student learn that we don't really elect presidents by popular vote, many are also quick to condemn the Electoral College as "stupid" or "unfair." This site might help teachers put the Electoral College and the process we use to determine our president into sharper focus. The interactive map is fairly simple, but can be adapted to show the peculiar way that "all or nothing" Electoral College voting state by state can affect the outcome of an election. We need look no further than the most recent 2004 election to see its impact in real terms. Users can highlight a particular state and get a historical view of electoral votes for the republican or democratic candidate in past presidential elections. Although the site will have usefulness beyond the 2008 election, it is currently featuring the progress of that race through the primaries and beyond with polling data.

Be aware: during election season, this site opens slowly. But it is well worth the wait. There is advertising on the site, but it is fairly unobtrusive. This website requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
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If you are looking for ways to begin to incorporate content associated with the upcoming 2008 Presidential elections, this site offers a lesson plan focused on the use of technology and the Internet in political campaigns. The speed with which technology changes means that no Presidential election in history will have used technology in the same way this one will. This lesson plan engages students in discussions about the use of blogs, podcasts, and other electronic media to appeal to younger voters.

Although the lesson plan is focused on the transcript of a NewsHour broadcast (you can access either a written transcript, a streaming video, or downloadable or streaming audio), there are good links to other resources: state-by-state analysis of Presidential primaries, biographies and coverage of each of the current candidates, and links to podcasts of NewsHour episodes.
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Apply creativity, math skills, and knowledge of the democratic process to plan a whistle-stop campaign across the country! The site includes a well-organized unit plan, creatively designed activities, links to supporting resources, and an assessment tool. Connections to national standards for social studies and math are provided. Created by the PBS Kids Democracy Project.
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Here is an interactive glimpse of political speeches delivered between 1918 and 1920. These fifty-nine speeches discuss topics such as World War I and the election of 1920.
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This site has many interactive ways to learn about the history of U.S. elections: interactive maps, discussion boards, predictions, polling data, and much more. Some of the tools may invite less mature students to enter into discussion boards inappropriately. Even so, it is an interesting and useful resource for students studying the history of U.S. elections or political parties.
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The process involved in electing a president is clearly explained in this entertaining and informative video. Click on the Presidential Election link to learn more about the specifics of the election process (political parties, what requirements a presidential nominee must meet, primaries, party conventions, campaigning, popular vote, electoral college, and much more). There are also movies for Democracy, Political Beliefs, Voting, Primaries, & Caucuses .

Brainpop is a member site; however, they allow you to access the videos and interactive quizzes a few times for free. That should be enough to share this interactives on a projector. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
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British voters headed to the polls on May 5, and were generally expected to return Tony Blair to what he says would be his final term in office. To see how it all turns out, try this election coverage page from The Times of London
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Is it possible to get kids excited about the Electoral College or campaign finance? Can students truly appreciate political humor? Help your history students understand the intricacies of the election process and gain an appreciation for this distinctly American political season! Browse through more than thirty interactive and creative lesson plans, organized by topic and grade level. Topics include the campaign trail, political polling, primaries and caucuses, political ads, and voting rights. Adobe Acrobat required for some activities. Although this site was created for the 2004 Presidential Election, it could be used during any presidential season. Some of the links require Flash and/or Adobe Acrobat. You can get both from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
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