Have the students write down on colored pieces of construction paper qualities they would look for in a president. The children are to think about their needs and the needs of the world. Then each of the papers can be displayed throughout the room. The whole class can come together and vote to decide which are the top eight qualities of a president. Once the top eight qualities have been voted on, divide the class into groups of four to rank the top eight qualities; place them in order on a piece of construction paper. Then the groups can compare their rankings and discuss why they ranked them like they did.
An election results map helps students to learn about which president received the popular vote in each state. This can be done with varying difficulty for different grade levels. For first graders, designate a color for each candidate and provide the students with the winner for each state. Have the students color each state on a map according to the winner; then have the students add up each color to determine which candidate won overall.
Have the students do a mock vote for a president. Fictitious characters can be used, students can volunteer to be a candidate or two or three candidates can be assigned. Students are given information on each candidate provided by the teacher. The students decide which candidate they think is best suited to be president. Each student, one by one, goes to a voting booth alone and writes down which candidate they're voting for, placing their vote in a box. The teacher counts the votes to see who wins.
Voting is not just important on a national scale, but on a local scale as well. To help the students understand this, they can vote on made-up issues for their school. Have each student write down one thing they would like to change or add to the school to make it better. Once all of the students have an issue, have the class collectively vote to narrow it down to eight or ten issues. Once the list has been narrowed down, students individually vote to pass or fail the issue. There could be stipulations made so only one passes. If the issue is reasonable that passes, the teacher could try to make it happen. For example if the students vote for a pizza party or extra recess, the teacher can look into making that a reality.