Subject: Social Studies Type of Lesson: Web-based, discussion, questioning

Grade: 10 CSEC OBJ: Outline the Factors that Influence the

Outcomes of Elections (Section A, #
19)

Term: 2 Unit Number #1 - Government

and Title:

Duration: 1x 35 minutes Week Number: 4

Lesson Number 13 - Factors Influencing Outcome of

and Title: Elections (3):
a. Campaign Strategies
b. Campaign Spending

Objectives
As a result of this lesson, the student will be able to:
1) explain the terms campaign strategy and campaign spending.
2) assess how campaign strategies and campaign spending affect the
outcome of elections.
3) develop a campaign strategy for a mock election.
4) recognize the precautionary measures to be considered when
seeking financing for political campaigns.

Prerequisite Student Knowledge

The student should be familiar with:
1) what is meant by outcome of elections.
2) voter turnout, voter attitude to government, media coverage, public
opinion polls and campaign advertising as factors influencing the
outcome of elections.

Important Points
1) The results of elections also referred to as election outcome is
important when selecting a government. Anticipation of results is a
response to the need for change in society and the desire for power
(both for candidates and political parties).
2) Campaigning is an integral part of an election as it is about
convincing the electorate to vote on Election Day. Campaigning is

Teacher Instructional Material 1

 chiefly aimed at undecided or floating voters but also targets
unregistered persons.
3) Campaigning is multi-faceted therefore political parties and
candidates seek to use resources at their disposal to target various
groups.
4) Campaign spending and finance are key aspects of campaigning as
money is necessary for running advertisements, buying t-shirts,
caps, marking vehicles, using public address systems, feeding
workers and providing transportation. Political parties often seek
funding through donations from corporate entities.
5) Therefore, having a campaign strategy is very important as this
outlines the plans and actions to be taken so that the campaign
meets its goals but is also very organized. Usually, each political
party appoints a Campaign Director/Manager to oversee the
campaign period.

Key Terms

Campaign Bogus Voting Campaign Finance

Campaign Spending Campaign Strategy Smear Campaign

Challenge Areas
(To be done after you have completed this lesson)
1. Conduct research into the Campaign Finance legislation in
your country.
a. Do you think the laws are necessary? Give reasons for
your answer.
b. Write a newspaper article about Campaign finance
legislation. In your article, outline what the legislation
is about and state the requirements that all political
candidates are supposed to meet.
2. Compile a list of five (5) campaign strategies that can be used
to win an election. Give three (3) advantages and three (3)
disadvantages of each strategy.

Equipment/Materials Needed
Multimedia projector, computers with internet connectivity, pdf reader
and flash player, speakers / headsets for audio and a spacious
classroom

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Note to Teacher
Be prepared to deal with partisan comments which may infiltrate the
class discussions. Do not declare your political affiliations or
sentiments; rather, try to keep discussions balanced and unbiased using
examples from both sides of the political divide. Focus on the
importance of raising funds noting the integrity of the source of
funding as well as the manner in which such funds are spent. Briefly
mention bogus voting and smear campaigns. Have pictures and
cartoons printed and download videos where possible so that you have
a back-up in the event that internet connectivity is lost.

Teachers Lesson Notes

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Introduction
1) Introductory Activity

Why is planning important? Discussion of Cartoon.

a. Load the cartoon found at the link

Challenge You below>>.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqNmtsR007o
Have students start
planning a political (Mickeys Surprise Party)
rally. Let them: Ask students:
1. Name the i. for the elements of planning a surprise birthday
political party.
2. Draft party.
objectives ii. to explain why secrecy is key to keeping the
3. Create a motto surprise.
4. Draw a logo
iii. to explain why it is important to be prepared
iv. to say what could have been done differently.
Expected answers:
i. Date, time, venue, food, cake, drink, invitations
ii. Secrecy is essential because you want the person
who the surprise is intended for to have a lasting
impact.
iii. Being prepared minimizes the risk of failure,
ensures that all goals are accomplished. It is also
important to have a contingency plan (plan B).
iv. Minny Mouse could have had a contingency plan to
fall back on.

b. Explain to students that this lesson is a continuation of the

topic Factors Influencing the Outcome of Elections.

Body of Lesson
1) What is Campaign Spending? Internet Use, Brainstorming.

a. Tell students to watch the video below>>.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vj54bi9nl3w (Explain it
to me: Campaign Spending)
Notes
Remember that i. Instruct students to identify four (4) areas (from the
campaign
spending is just video) that money is spent on political campaigns
one aspect of ii. Next, ask students to brainstorm the sources of
campaign funds (money) for elections. Give students half
finance!
sheets of letter sized paper to write their responses
on then stick these on the focus board or wall in the
class.
Expected answers:

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 i. Four areas are advertising, mobile phones, mass
rallies.
ii. Donations from individuals, business interests,
pressure groups, membership fees, fundraising
banquets/parties.

b. Assist students to create a flowchart of campaign spending

which should look similar to the one in Box 13.1.

Box 13.1 Campaign spending illustration

Created by Candice Watson

2) Why is it Important to Monitor Election Finance/Spending?

Internet Use, Reading & Group Discussion/Presentation.

a. Direct students to read the online brochure Political Party

Try This!
While students are
working in groups,
be sure to go from
group to group to
ensure that they are
on task. Also, be
prepared to answer
any questions
pertaining to the
activity.
Financing in Jamaica found at the webpage below>>.
www.caffeja.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/PP-
Financing_Brochure1.pdf
Divide the class into four (4) groups then allocate each
group one of the following sections of the brochure to read
and discuss in their groups (NOTE THAT THE
QUESTION IN BRACKETS INDICATES THE SECTION
OF THE BROCHURE TO BE READ):
i. What is Political Party Financing? (Who
administers the electoral system? How does
Jamaicas political party financing work?)
ii. What is the purpose of Political Finance
Regulation? (Why is monitoring political party
financing important?)
iii. What is Corruption in Election Campaign Finance?
(What is quid pro quo corruption?)

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 iv. Why is Vote Buying Bad? (How can I stop vote
buying?

Tell students to read and discuss their section of the

brochure in groups then draft a summary.

Next, instruct each group to appoint a member to present

the summary to the rest of the class.

b. Have a whole class discussion seeking to answer the focus

question Why is it important to monitor election campaign
finance/spending?
Question students to assess their level of comprehension

c. Instruct students to write a 50 word response to the focus

question above

3) How does Campaign Spending impact on Election Outcome?

Internet Use, Group work, Discussion.

a. Go to the webpage >>

www.businessuiteonline.com/2012/03/22/jamaican-
political-parties-spent-heavily-in-2011-elections/ (Jamaican
Political Parties Spent Heavily in 2011 Elections)

Project the webpage onto the screen then instruct students

What do you
think?
Ask students How
important is money
to winning an
election campaign?
Notes
There are no expected
answers provided for this
activity. Teacher is
expected to use his/her
expertise to assess
students here.
to:
i. Scroll down the page then click on the bar chart
titled Share of Spend on Each Medium
ii. Look carefully at the chart then select about five (5)
students to say what they understand from the
information presented.
Ensure that you indicate to students that percentages
from affiliate groups should be added to get the
overall picture (i.e. G2K and Positive Jamaica to be
added to JLP & Patriots to be added to PNP)
iii. Rank the percentage of money spent on each
medium (print, radio, television) according to broad
political group
iv. Construct a pie chart in their groups to represent the
percentage of money spent by each political party
on mass media.
v. Look at their pie charts to see which party spent the
most on mass media.
vi. State whether the party that spent the most money
on mass media won the elections

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 vii. State their opinion of the impact of campaign
spending on election outcomes; discuss the matter
for about five (5) minutes.

b. Direct students to look at the carton below (project onto

screen)
www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/directory/w/wins.asp
(Wins cartoon3 - search ID hscn 315)

Box 13.2 Campaign spending

Note to IT Specialists please replace this comic with a
similar one. I am unable to find a suitable free comic.

Instruct students to:

i. Explain what you think the statement in the end,
the candidate who spends the most money can get
the votes to stop government binge spending
means?
ii. Write a short essay answering the question To
what extent do you agree that the amount of money
spent by candidates/ political parties on elections
influences the outcome of the elections?

4) What does Campaign Strategy Mean? Internet Use,

Discovery.

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 a. Split class into two groups. Give students the following
scenario:

Box 13.1: Scenario

You need to select a class representative for Social

Studies as there are several issues relating to the
subject that need to be addressed. Chief amongst
these issues is an educational trip to several sites.

i. Select a candidate to represent each side

ii. Create a platform/proposal from which the
candidate will base his/her issues and measures to
address those issues
iii. The selected candidates will deliver a speech to the
class
iv. Each group is responsible for using creativity and
talent to convince their classmates to vote.

b. Allow each group a maximum of twenty (20) minutes to

prepare.
i. Then invite each representative centre stage to
present their speeches.
ii. Based on the presentations, ask students to vote for
their class representative by show of hands.
iii. Next, ask students why they voted for that person
iv. Explain to students that the reasons outlined are
referred to as strategies.

c. Direct students to the webpage>>.

http://www.wikihow.com/Win-a-Student-Council-Election
(How to Win an Election). Instruct students to read the
page and compare their strategies with those suggested on
the page.

5) How does Campaign Strategy Impact on Election Outcomes?

Discussion of Videos.

a. Instruct students to go to the website below and watch the

videos>>>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEgmouzjVoI&list=FL
9iPA8_5_oj7l03bojZRU0w&index=8&feature=plcp (JLP-
TV Ad Health and Education)

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 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVz0Ay3S6kU (One
Minute if Labour)
Now instruct students to:
i. State what strategy was being used in each video
ii. Explain TWO possible effects EACH strategy could
have on the electorate
Expected answers:
i. Persuasion (emotive) was the strategy being used in
the video One minute of Labour while the JLP-TV
Ad Health and Education uses a combination of
exposition and persuasion.
ii. Persuasion could result in a high voter turnout if the
electorate is actually convinced. On the flipside, it
the persuasion is not presented in a tasteful or
tactful manner then the electorate may be dissuaded
resulting in that party losing the election.

Exposition serves to educate, this may cause a party

to win the elections if the information they have
presented is factual. This is so because honesty is an
indicator that the government/ party is trustworthy.
Additionally, exposition helps the floating voter to
become more decisive, resulting in increased voter
turnout.

Closure
In Class Assignment
1) Instruct students to read the article below so as to reiterate the main
points in the lesson>>.
http://www.howtodothings.com/careers/how-to-campaign-for-
election (How to Campaign for Election)

Supplemental
Out-of-Class Assignment
1) Write an essay answering this question Should political parties
be funded by the state or private capital?

2) Go to the webpage >>. http://www.businessuiteonline.com/wp-

content/uploads/2012/03/Spend-by-Vendor-21.jpg Examine the
table then think about how much political spending on election
campaigns influence the outcome of elections.

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Glossary of Terms

Bogus Voting Fraudulent or counterfeit actions taken to impact

on the result of an election. It may involve using
fake identification or stuffing ballot boxes.
The competition by rival political candidates and
Campaign organizations for public office; Work in an
organized and active way toward a particular
goal, typically a political or social one.

Campaign Refers to all funds that are raised and spent in

Finance order to promote candidates, parties or policies
in some sort of electoral contest.

Campaign Refers to the amount of money spent on an

Spending election campaign, how it is spent and what it
was spent on.

Campaign A plan of action or policy designed to achieve a

Strategy major or overall aim with regards to a political
campaign

Smear Campaign A smear campaign is an intentional,

premeditated effort to undermine an individual's
or group's reputation, credibility, and character
which most often targets government officials,
politicians, political candidates, and other public
figures.

CSEC Questions
a. Explain the term campaign finance (2 marks)

b. Outline THREE reasons why campaign spending should be

regulated and monitored (6 marks)

c. i. You are a Strategy Consultant to a political party, suggest to the

political party THREE methods it can use to encourage young
people to vote. (6 marks)

ii. Justify EACH response given above. (6 marks)

Recommended Materials
The web-links below will prove useful to further understanding the
lesson.

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 1. http://www.vernalproject.org/papers/strategy/StrategicCampaig
nPlanningBasics.pdf (Basics of Strategic Campaign Planning)
2. http://jamaica-
gleaner.com/gleaner/20120108/cleisure/cleisure4.html (How
elections are won and lost)
Bibliography

Buckle-Scott, L, Davis-Morrison, V, Louis, A and Lunt P. (2012).

Social Studies for CSEC. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes Ltd.

Source
Figure 13.1:
Created by Candice Watson
Figure 13.2
[Campaign Spending]. Retrieved June 10, 2012, from:
www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/directory/w/wins.asp

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