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Election-System Design Commission

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Grades 6-860-75 minSource: Creative Dad Company

Students design a voting system for a mock election. They balance security, ease of use, and access for everyone, then stress-test it against real problems like long lines and tampering. It is civics and engineering rolled into one lively debate.

Budget levels

Amazon prices checked Oct 9-10, 2026 and may change

Materials links go to Amazon. Prices are estimates and may change. As an Amazon Associate, Creative Dad Company earns from qualifying purchases.

Quick Start

Digital downloads only.

$0 to buy. Printing noted separately.

Student time: one class period, one day.

Teacher prep / build-ahead: separate from student time.

Scale it

The default plan is one class period on a single day.

Scale back: Fit it into a shorter period, use fewer effects, or run a demo instead of a build.

Scale up: Add one extra effect, or spread the share-out across another day.

Ambiance video

Ambiance video coming soon from Creative Dad Studio

  • StopwatchesBorrow or school hasuse what you have
  • decision matrix worksheetPrintinguse what you have

Full Experience

Required materials for the class.

$15.99 per class (class of about 30, 6 groups).

Student time: one day.

Teacher prep / build-ahead: separate from student time.

Scale it

The default plan is one school day.

Scale back: Fit the build into one period with fewer effects.

Scale up: Spread the work across days, or add more effects.

  • shoebox ballot boxesRequired1 x 6 boxes6 boxes$15.99Amazon

Total Transformation

The bigger kit, with every optional item included.

$15.99 per class (class of about 30, 6 groups).

Student time: one day (one session, one-day event).

Teacher prep / build-ahead: separate from student time.

Scale it

The default plan is one session, a one-day event.

Scale back: Shorten the event, or run a demo for a smaller audience.

Scale up: Spread the build and the event across days, or invite a bigger audience.

Materials

Mock ballots (paper); Voting-place signs and arrows (cardstock); Clear containers (sealed ballot boxes); Stopwatches; shoebox ballot boxes; decision matrix worksheet

Materials links go to Amazon. Prices are estimates and may change.

As an Amazon Associate, Creative Dad Company earns from qualifying purchases.

  • Mock ballots

    Mock ballots (paper)

    No link

  • Voting-place signs and arrows

    Voting-place signs and arrows (cardstock)

    No link

  • Clear containers

    Clear containers (sealed ballot boxes)

    No link

Steps

  1. Review three real voting methods and predict what each gives up or gains in security, speed, and access.
  2. Set criteria and constraints: average under 60 seconds per voter, 100 percent count accuracy, every tester can vote including one using a reading aid, no more than one successful cheating method found, and only paper materials.
  3. Build two or three competing ballot and counting processes.
  4. Run a mock election with each: time 10 voters, recount, survey ease from 1 to 5, and let a red team try to cheat. Record everything.
  5. Score each system in a weighted decision matrix and pick the strongest.
  6. Fix the winning system's weakest spot and rerun a short election to check.

Standards mapped

  • NGSS · MS-ETS1-2

    Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.