Homeschool Congressional Election

At Silverdale Press, we love to help your family learn about elections. For the next several weeks, our Hot Chocolate and Current Events will focus on the upcoming congressional election in the U.S. 

Studying current events has so many benefits. Not only does it increase vocabulary, it can help you pass along values to your children. Since everyone is talking about the congressional election, now is a great time to have a purposeful discussion with your kids about it. 

But first, some information:

-This is a midterm election year, meaning that it happens in between presidential elections. 
-All 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives are up for reelection.
-Out of 100 Senate seats, 33 seats are being contested in regular elections and 2 are being contested in special elections.
-Those elected to the House will serve two-year terms; those elected to the Senate will serve 6-year terms.
-Republicans currently hold majorities in both houses. 
-Voter turnout for midterm elections is around 40 percent. 

Hop on over to our blog to get the article, map points, and discussion questions. 

Get the article:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2018/10/17/donald-trump-midterm-themes-kavanaugh-impeachment-nicknames/1590500002/

Plot these points on a map: 
Washington, D.C.; Montana; Arizona; Nevada

Discuss the following questions:
​
What is the main topic of this article?
Why is Donald Trump campaigning so hard in the congressional election?
If Democrats get control of Congress, do you think they’ll try to impeach the president or the new Supreme Court justice, Brett Kavanaugh?
What message do you think the president needs to get across at his rallies, in order to get Republicans to turn out and vote?
Why is voter turnout so low in congressional midterm elections?
Do you think voter turnout will be higher this year than its usual 40 percent?
Do you think this election is a referendum on the president’s leadership? 
Why do you think President Trump is holding more rallies than Presidents Bush and Obama did?
Why do you think the president is looking forward to the next three weeks? 

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