EU Elections 2019: In-class activity for Spanish students

Need a break from semester reviews and final exams prep?

Try this in-class activity using authentic resources that´s timely and fun.

Students will read and discuss campaign messages for the EU Parliament elections from four different Spanish political parties, then cast their ballots for the party of their choice!

How does the EU Parliament voting work?

On Sunday, May 26^th, citizens in the 28 members states of European Union will cast their ballots for whom will represent them in the European Parliament.

Voters will elect 751 members of the European Parliament to five year terms. This is the ninth parliamentary election since the first direct elections in 1979.

Member nations all have slightly different election processes with the uniting requirement that the number of seats won by political parties be roughly proportional to their share of the vote.

In-class activity: Mock EU elections

Below are sample campaign mailings and messages that Spanish citizens will receive this week.

In small groups, students will read each mailing and respond to the sample discussion questions below.

After, students can cast their ballots in class to vote for the party they would choose for the EU Parliament seats.

Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSOE) 

Podemos

Ciudadanos

Partido Popular 

Sample discussion questions

• How do the different styles of campaigning affect how you perceive each party?
• From reading these letters, how are European issues similar to issues the US is facing today? How are they different?
• If these political parties was in the United States, where do you think each would fall on the U.S. political spectrum?
• If you were a campaign manager working for one of these parties, which campaign message style would you most likely use?

Additional Resources

For more information, this New York Times article explains the ins and outs of the upcoming election.