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Back in class

And the mayor is ...

The election results

And the mayor is… is an activity to be carried out back in the classroom. It closes the electoral process that opened with the activity Special election: five mayors on the campaign trail!

At the end of their visit to the Centre d'histoire de Montréal, the students vote. The box containing their ballots is sealed and given to you. Back in the classroom, it is time to count the votes and announce the election results.

Counting the vote

A number of people have important roles to play on the day of a municipal election. Look at the illustration Poll Officials with the students and explain the role of each of the role-players shown.

The Deputy Returning Officer counts the votes in the presence of the Poll Clerk. The Poll Clerk notes the number of votes for each candidate as the Deputy Returning Officer is counting the votes. You can choose a Deputy Returning Officer and a Poll Clerk from the class as well as a Chief Electoral Officer, who is responsible for declaring the official results.

Then you can ask the students about the reasons for their choices. Did they vote for their own candidates, or not? Why?

Are two candidates tied?

Perform a second round of voting in order to be able to proclaim one candidate elected.

Be aware however that this is an unusual procedure. In fact there is no second round of voting in the democratic system in Québec. In a real election, the possibilities of a tie are basically nil since the population pool is so much larger than in the classroom context.

Here is how to proceed:

1. Create a new ballot by ticking off only the names of the candidates who are tied and print it.

2. Choose a place in the class where the students can vote in secret. You can make a polling booth out of cardboard.

3. To vote: Students deposit their ballots in the ballot box you received during your visit to the Centre d’histoire de Montréal (be sure that there is nothing in the box before you start the vote!).

4. Count the vote as you did previously.

We want to know the results of your election!

With pride, the students will be able to check the results of the elections held in their class on the Citizens of Tomorrow website. They will also be able to compare their results with those of the other classes participating in the activity. Come back in May to find out who the big winner is, as elected by all classes!

Fill in the online form and send it by email or fax to the Centre d’histoire de Montréal. We will put your class results online. To check the results for the current year, we will send you a password that you can share with the students. Students who have a computer and Internet at home will certainly want to show their parents the results of their Citizens of Tomorrow project.

You were not able to go on the outings to Old Montréal?

You will have to turn your classroom into your polling station. In order to do this, look at the illustration Poll Officials and continue as follows:

1. Create the ballot. Tick off the names of the five candidates and print your ballot.

2. Make your polling booth (three pieces of cardboard stuck together) and your ballot box (a shoe box in which you make an opening for inserting the ballots).

3. Each student votes in secret, in the polling booth, and deposits his or her vote in the ballot box.

4. Now proceed to count the vote.

5. Let us know the results of your election. You will be able to check them in the Election Results section.