Voting, Leaders, and Elections: What Preschoolers Can Learn About Democracy 

In a democratic country, citizens make choices as a group by voting and choose leaders by holding elections. Preschool-age children are likely to hear adults talk about those activities, especially during an election year. They may be curious about terms like political party or Election Day. They may wonder what is involved in being a mayor, senator, or president. With experience and thoughtful guidance, young children can begin to understand the complex concepts involved in group decision-making. 

This tool kit provides some tips and resources to help preschoolers enhance their awareness of the basics of voting, leadership, and elections. Detailed descriptions of children’s books on these topics are provided in the last section.   

What Preschoolers Can Learn About Voting

Voting is one way for a group of people to decide how they want certain things to be. It helps bring order to decision-making by giving each person a “say,” or a voice. It reflects the will of a majority, but not what every single voter wants. A group that uses voting needs to find ways to work with members who are not satisfied with the outcome of a vote. Those who do not “win” need to decide how to make their voices heard, going forward. 

Children can learn about group decision-making through planned activities such as taking surveys, sharing points of view in group discussions, and voting on matters of importance in the classroom or the family. 

Taking surveys encourages preschoolers to find out more about the interests of people they know. It allows them to explore personal preferences and differences of opinion. On a small scale, this is what happens with public opinion polls that reveal what people are concerned about, and which ideas or leaders are popular. The tip sheet The Project Approach: Children Taking Surveys offers suggestions for using surveys in the classroom.   

Public discourse about ideas and leaders is important to democratic decision-making. In a preschooler’s world, discussions can be a key part of making choices at home and in school. Class discussions and family meetings give children time to hear and respond to others’ ideas. The tip sheet Cooperation in the Preschool Classroom: Class Discussions offers some suggestions. These conversations are an important step when children prepare to vote on questions that affect them all. The tip sheet Children’s Votes Count! suggests ways to engage preschoolers in voting via show-of-hands or balloting. Vocabulary children can gain from these activities includes opinion, tally, agree/disagree, and majority. 

What Preschoolers Can Learn About Leaders

Leaders play key roles in any group. Skillful leaders are “in charge” of helping people work together on tasks that they couldn’t do alone. They may make decisions on their own, or they may guide or assist others in deciding. In a democracy, elected leaders are supposed to represent the will and the needs of all citizens – not just the people who voted for them. Their job is to make choices that support everyone’s well-being, so paying attention to what others need is essential. 

People expect their leaders to act responsibly and fairly. In a democracy, leaders are held accountable for their actions. Children tend to have a strong sense of fairness. They are often very interested in how leaders use their power, and what can be done when they misuse it. 

Preschoolers can gain awareness of leaders in their environment – such as parents, teachers, school officials. Who are they? How did they gain their positions? What do they do, and how do they work with others to solve problems? The tip sheet Who’s the Leader? and tool kit Everyone Can Be a Leader suggest games and other activities, including focused class discussions, that help children learn about what goes into being a leader. Children also need to know that followers play important roles, too! Leadership-related vocabulary for preschoolers includes in charge, duty, responsibility, teamwork, persuade, and represent. 

What Preschoolers Can Learn About Elections

During an election, a group uses a voting process to choose among candidates for leadership positions. They may also vote to decide about important policies, such as whether to raise local taxes to pay for schools. It’s important for children to understand that an election doesn’t start when people are voting. Before an election, people think and talk about things that affect their group, community, or country. Candidates may have debates in which they argue for their own ideas and against their opponent’s. They also meet with the people who try to gain their support. The blog post It’s Time for All of Us To Vote: Exploring the Democratic Process for Young Children suggests activities to increase children’s understanding of elections. Ideas include holding a mock election and interviewing people about their voting experiences. Several suggestions for related home activities can be found in the resource, Let’s Vote! Talking to Children About Voting. Election-related vocabulary includes referendum, candidate, opposition, campaign, debate, rally, secret ballot, polling place, and voting machine. 

Children’s Books About Democracy

Children’s books can be used to teach children about concepts of voting, leaders, and elections.  Synopses of relevant children’s picture books are included below. Some are fictional stories. Others are factual.  

Adults can share these books to introduce related vocabulary and help children understand the concepts and processes involved. Some of these books contain vocabulary many preschool children have not experienced. They can still enjoy and understand them if adults adapt the text and explain terms as needed. It’s important for adults to preview any book before sharing it with children. They can consider:  

• Will the whole book be helpful and interesting to these children, or just parts of it?  
• Will some parts of the book need to be paraphrased or explained? 
• Which aspects of the book might spark conversation among the children?  

The Q&A Sharing Informational Books with Young Children offers tips for introducing fact-based books to preschoolers. 

• We Can Vote by Ann Bonwill illustrates some of the “basics” of voting. It shows real people involved in discussing a topic, making personal decisions, using ballots to vote, and tallying the results. The first chapter depicts a teacher and students deciding on a classroom pet. Chapter 2 answers the question, “What else can we vote on?” Chapter 3 briefly explains the concept of voting for government officials. In Chapter 4, a child observes his mother voting in a national election and waiting for the results. Also included are three short paragraphs about women gaining the right to vote, a “Get Ready to Vote” checklist, and brief definitions of terms like candidate and tallies. 
• Everyone Gets a Say by Jill Twiss (illustrated by E.G. Keller) is a fantasy story about a group of animals who all want things to go their way. The result is chaos. At last, they listen to the quiet voice of Pudding the snail. He suggests they vote on who should be In Charge. That way, “Everyone gets a say,” so that “the very tiniest Someone gets the same say as the very biggest Someone.” The animals come up with a novel way to vote and elect a leader for the first time. 
• In The President of the Jungle (written and illustrated by André Rodrigues, Larissa Ribeiro, Paula Desgualdo and Pedro Markun), the animals are tired of the king (a lion) misusing his power. They decide to elect a president. Their voting rules are much like those of the world’s democracies, including one person, one vote. The candidates’ campaign speeches emphasize what traits would make them the best at being president. Although they must disqualify Lion for trying to buy votes, the election is a success. The Sloth gets the highest number of votes. His first action as president is to “create a team to make the jungle a great place for every animal.” The book includes a glossary of election terms. 
• Pedro for President (by Fran Manushkin, illustrated by Tammie Lyon) depicts an election for a class president. Pedro and Amy run against each other. Pedro’s responses to several classroom problems impress his peers. He has low confidence about making a campaign speech. After he calls out an unfair (gender-biased) voting proposal from a classmate, he wins the election. Amy and Pedro remain friends. The book includes a glossary and discussion questions. 
• Sharice’s Big Voice: A Native Kid Becomes a Congresswoman (by Sharice Davids and Nancy May, illustrated by Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley) is a picture book biography focusing on how Sharice Davids became a Representative in Congress. She addresses how some of her personality traits, such as loving to talk, fit well with being a candidate and serving in the House of Representatives. The book includes a letter from the Congresswoman to the young readers and reflects a strong belief in public service and ethical leadership.  
• What Are Elections? (by Jennifer Bothroyd) is an informational book that explains, in simple terms, with clear photographs, what children might observe going on around them during an election. Depictions include candidates meeting the public, people casting votes by ballot, and media coverage of debates and speeches.  
• In Duck for President (by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Betsy Lewin) Duck doesn’t like the chores Farmer Brown assigns to him. He persuades the other animals to hold an election in which he runs against Farmer Brown. Duck wins but soon finds himself working harder than he did before. He then decides become governor instead. He wins by three votes. The new job is different from farming, but just as hard. He wants out, so he runs for president (leaving his staff in charge), with a similar outcome. Humorous illustrations show such aspects of U.S. elections as campaign rallies, speeches, and the red-white-and-blue color scheme. The book provides opportunities to talk about leadership, responsibilities, and the mechanics of the election process.  
• Go Vote, Baby (by Nancy R. Lambert, illustrated by Ann Passchier) is a board book with sliding panels that allow readers to make “either/or” choices between illustrations of two items, such as striped socks or socks with stars. Young preschoolers may enjoy “helping” the babies move the checkmark panels to reveal their preferences.  

See the resource list Voting and Elections with Preschoolers for additional books and websites on these topics. 

IEL Resources

Took Kit: Everyone Can Be a Leader 

Resource List: Voting and Elections with Preschoolers 

Questions & Answers: Sharing Informational Books with Young Children 

Web Resources