Off-the-Shelf Masterclass: Maths of Voting

About this Masterclass

Voting is a key part of democracy, the system that allows all eligible citizens to decide upon who will run the country. For example, general elections within the UK are generally held every five years and allow citizens to vote for who will represent their constituency as a Member of Parliament, and as such which party will have majority in the House of Commons. 

This session introduces students to electoral maths, by exploring how different voting systems, including First Past the Post, Alternative Vote, and Borda, calculate who wins an election. Students will evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of these different electoral systems as well as evaluate to what extent these systems are fair. 

Students will then use the knowledge and skills from this exploration to discuss and develop their own voting method.  

Length: 2 and a half hours 

Note: Worksheets and supporting documents are provided in docx format as well as pdf format, to enable adaptations. These should be opened in desktop versions of word processing software to preserve formatting and layout. 

Resources needed

• 1 copy of Worksheets 1, 2 and 3 per student; 
  • Print Worksheet 1 in colour where possible 
• 1 copy of Worksheet 4 per group of 4 students (1 side);  
• 1 copy of Ballot Handout per group of 4 students (1 side);  
• 1 copy of Random systems instructions per group of 4 students;  
• Students will need a pen/pencil;  
• Students will also need a calculator