Mock Elections 2024: Register your school and get our free Toolkit
10 Jun 2024
Register for our 2024 Mock Elections and get a free Toolkit containing all the guidance, templates and resources you need to create the excitement and drama of the real general election in your school. A Mock Election gives pupils of all ages an insight into how the democratic process works. It's a great (and fun) way to teach young people about elections and democracy and bring the principles and practices of our political system to life.
At every general election for over 50 years the Hansard Society has produced Mock Election toolkits and resources for schools.
Mock Elections equip pupils with valuable knowledge and skills that will enable them to participate fully in future elections and fosters their ability to think critically, research issues, weigh evidence, evaluate different viewpoints, debate ideas and take informed action.
Register your school and we'll send you a link to our free Toolkit that provides all the resources you need to run a Mock Election:
Toolkit for Teachers: a 10-step guide to running a Mock Election;
Guide to running a quick Mock Election if you are short of time (to be run in one class over two lessons)
Cue cards: information and resources to support pupils who run a campaign or administer the election;
Templates: all the resources you need to run the election including candidate nomination forms, electoral registration forms, postal vote forms, notice of poll posters, ballot box seals, rosettes, ballot papers, and a draft press release and opinion poll; and
Poster: how to run a Mock Election in 10 easy steps!
The Toolkit is free to download when you register. All we ask is that you submit your results to us so that we can include them in the final nationwide Mock Elections result.
The deadline to submit your results is 6pm on Thursday 4 July (though if you can submit them before then that would be great!) Details about how to submit your results are contained in the Toolkit. We will analyse the data and announce the nationwide result as soon as possible after the deadline.
Students get into the campaigning spirit by running as candidates, creating manifestos, canvassing support, delivering speeches and designing campaign posters as well as casting their first votes on polling day. They also help organise and administer the election to ensure it is free and fair. It is an ideal vehicle for citizenship teaching but it can also be incorporated into other classes such as IT, Art and Design, Maths and English.
Schools are encouraged to use the hashtag #mockelections2024 on social media - on X (formerly known as Twitter), Facebook and Instagram. The Hansard Society will also be keeping track of any Mock Election campaign videos submitted on YouTube - so subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up to date.
Research shows that participating in citizenship-related activities at school, such as Mock Elections, makes young people more likely to have positive attitudes towards political participation as adults and more likely to engage in political activity. This applies even when controlling for other relevant factors, such as higher levels of formal education.
Several candidates in the real 2019 general election, as well as former MPs and other prominent political figures, participated in Mock Elections when they were at school and were subsequently inspired to go on to Westminster.
