Our Government Our Election

Objective
Election results will be analysed so students can consider what the results mean for their community and for the province.

Procedure
1.As a class, read through and/or watch pertinent election results as reported in traditional and social media.

2. Analyse the results of the election.
KEY QUESTIONS

• If there was a parallel election held in class, compare the results of the students’ vote to overall election results.
• What factors contributed to the wins and losses?
• What promises were made by the winning party and candidates? How should they be held accountable for these promises?
• What were the most significant events of the campaign?

3. Reconsider traditional and social media election coverage studied in Lesson 2.4 and 2.5.
KEY QUESTION

• Did the media have an influence on the election results? If so, how?

4. Reconsider voter turnout studied in Lesson 3.2.
KEY QUESTIONS

• What was the voter turnout across the province? In your constituency? How does this compare to other elections?
• What factors influenced voter turnout?
  

5. Reconsider proportional representation studied in Lesson 3.3.
KEY QUESTION

• What percentage of the vote and what percentage of seats did each party win? What does this say about our electoral system?

5. Break down the gender and ethnicity of all candidates and the winning candidates. Statistics Canada’s census profile of Saskatchewan can provide current data.
KEY QUESTIONS

• Did one party proportionately elect more women and minorities than another?
• What will the legislature look like the province as a whole?
• Will the elected members accurately represent the gender and ethnic make-up of the province?
• Did a disproportionate number of women or minorities lose their campaigns? If so, can you point to reasons why?
• Is a candidate’s identity more important than their policies and beliefs?
• What ways can we help make our legislature look like our province as a whole?

6. Reconsider George Bernard Shaw’s quote from Lesson 1.1, “Democracy is a device that ensures we will be governed no better than we deserve.”
KEY QUESTIONS

• Do we deserve the local MLA we elected?
• Does Saskatchewan deserve the government we have formed?