Law & Citizenship · Unit 7

Elections and Democracy

Campaigns, ballots and counting the votes

How votes are counted changes who wins, which is why voting systems are argued about so fiercely and why no country has a neutral one.

The unit covers who can vote and how that expanded, campaigns and parties, voting systems and their consequences, what makes an election free and fair, and turnout.

This unit breaks down into 18 short steps and 108 questions, starting at difficulty 2 and building to 3. Below you can see exactly what it covers, how the path is structured, and worked examples with explanations.

Steps: 18
Questions: 108
Difficulty: 2-3

What this unit covers

Turnout and Participation
Voting Systems
Campaigns and Parties
Free and Fair Elections
Who Can Vote

Where this fits

Follows How Government Works. Connects to History's The Age of Revolutions.

Where people slip

First-past-the-post and proportional systems can produce opposite outcomes from identical votes. The system is a choice with consequences, not a technicality.

How the unit is structured

Elections and Democracy runs as 18 short steps that unlock in order. 13 are practice rounds and 5 are challenge rounds that pull together everything before them. Questions start at difficulty 2 and climb to 3 as you progress.

Step 1 · easierStep 18 · harder

Challenge rounds

Example questions

30 real questions from this unit, with the answer and the reason behind it, grouped by what they practise. There are 108 in the unit altogether.

Campaigns and Parties

Choose all that applyLevel 2
1. Which are ways candidates campaign? Pick all that apply.
- Delivering leafletscorrect
- Taking part in debatescorrect
- Knocking on doorscorrect
- Counting the ballots
Leaflets, debates and door knocking are all campaign methods.
Multiple choiceLevel 2
2. What is a political party?
- A group with shared ideas putting forward candidatescorrect
- A celebration
- A court
- A newspaper
A group of people with shared ideas who put forward candidates for election.
Picture questionLevel 2
3. 📣 What is this person likely doing before an election?
- Campaigning for votescorrect
- Counting ballots
- Judging a case
- Arresting someone
Candidates campaign to explain their ideas and win votes.
Sort into groupsLevel 2
4. Sort each item by whether it belongs to voters or candidates.
Answer: Casting a ballot = Voter; Registering to vote = Voter; Publishing a manifesto = Candidate; Campaigning door to door = Candidate
Both play different parts in an election.
Fill the blankLevel 3
5. Tailoring political messages to narrow audiences using data is called ____.
- microtargetingcorrect
- canvassing
- auditing
- registering
Microtargeting fragments the public conversation.
Put in orderLevel 3
6. Put these campaign stages in order.
Answer: Candidates are selected -> A manifesto is published -> Campaigning begins -> Public debates are held -> Polling day arrives
Selection, manifesto, campaign, debate, polling day.

Free and Fair Elections

Choose all that applyLevel 2
7. Which protect election integrity? Pick all that apply.
- A secret ballotcorrect
- Independent observerscorrect
- An accurate voter registercorrect
- Counting behind closed doors
Secret ballots, observers, sealed boxes and an accurate register all protect it.
Fact or fibLevel 2
8. It is acceptable to look at how someone else marked their ballot.
Answer: False
False. The ballot is secret so people can vote without pressure.
Fill the blankLevel 2
9. Drawing boundaries to favour one party is called ____.
- gerrymanderingcorrect
- canvassing
- registering
- campaigning
Gerrymandering distorts the link between votes and seats.
Multiple choiceLevel 2
10. Why is it wrong to force someone to vote a certain way?
- A vote must be freely chosencorrect
- It slows the queue
- It uses more ink
- It is not wrong
A vote must be a free choice or it means nothing.
Build the sentenceLevel 3
11. Build a sentence about elections.
Answer: Transparent counting builds public trust in results
Transparent counting builds public trust in results.
Sort into groupsLevel 3
12. Sort each practice as protecting or undermining an election.
Answer: Independent observation = Protects the election; Auditable paper records = Protects the election; Spreading false voting dates = Undermines the election; Manipulating boundaries = Undermines the election
Integrity depends on transparent, verifiable process.

Turnout and Participation

Build the sentenceLevel 2
13. Build a sentence about choosing representatives.
Answer: Voting lets people choose who represents them
Voting lets people choose who represents them.
Choose all that applyLevel 2
14. Which help more people vote? Pick all that apply.
- Postal votingcorrect
- Accessible polling stationscorrect
- Clear information about how to votecorrect
- Very short opening hours
Postal voting, accessible stations and clear information all help.
Multiple choiceLevel 2
15. Why does low turnout worry people?
- The result may not reflect most people's viewscorrect
- It saves paper
- It speeds the count
- It is not a worry
A result chosen by few people may not reflect what most want.
True or falseLevel 2
16. Making voting easier tends to increase turnout.
Answer: True
True. Postal voting and longer hours both help.
Type the answerLevel 2
17. What is voting by post instead of in person called?
Answer: postal vote
A postal vote is sent by mail.
Choose all that applyLevel 3
18. Which reforms aim to raise participation? Pick all that apply.
- Early voting periodscorrect
- Automatic registrationcorrect
- Civic education in schoolscorrect
- Reducing polling stations
Weekend voting, early voting, automatic registration and civic education all aim at it.

Voting Systems

Build the sentenceLevel 2
19. Build a sentence about voting systems.
Answer: Different systems turn votes into seats differently
Different systems turn votes into seats differently.
Choose all that applyLevel 2
20. Which happen on election day? Pick all that apply.
- People cast ballotscorrect
- Boxes are sealed and transportedcorrect
- Votes are countedcorrect
- Laws are passed
Voting, sealing boxes and counting all take place.
Multiple choiceLevel 2
21. What is a polling station?
- Where people go to cast their votecorrect
- Where laws are made
- A police building
- A court
The place where people go to cast their vote.
Put in orderLevel 2
22. Put these election steps in order.
Answer: Voters register -> Candidates campaign -> People vote -> Ballots are counted -> The result is announced
Register, campaign, vote, count, announce.
Sort into groupsLevel 2
23. Sort each system by how seats relate to votes.
Answer: First past the post = Majoritarian; Two round system = Majoritarian; Party list PR = Proportional; Single transferable vote = Proportional
Systems differ in proportionality.
Fact or fibLevel 3
24. There is one objectively best electoral system for every country.
Answer: False
False. Every system trades off proportionality, accountability and stability differently.

Who Can Vote

Choose all that applyLevel 2
25. Which are usually needed to vote? Pick all that apply.
- Being a citizen or eligible residentcorrect
- Being over the voting agecorrect
- Being on the registercorrect
- Owning a house
Citizenship, minimum age and registration are usually required.
Fill the blankLevel 2
26. The official list of people allowed to vote is the electoral ____.
- registercorrect
- manifesto
- result
- district
The register confirms eligibility.
Multiple choiceLevel 2
27. What is an election?
- An event where people vote to choose representativescorrect
- A court hearing
- A tax payment
- A public holiday only
An event where people vote to choose their representatives.
True or falseLevel 2
28. You usually have to register before you can vote.
Answer: True
True. Registration confirms who is entitled to vote.
Type the answerLevel 2
29. What is the list of people entitled to vote called?
Answer: electoral register
The electoral register records eligible voters.
Fact or fibLevel 3
30. Everyone in the world may vote in any country's national election.
Answer: False
False. Eligibility usually depends on citizenship or residence and registration.

Where these questions come from. Each unit starts as a plan of the concepts it should cover and the difficulty it should span. Questions are written against that plan with AI assistance, then checked by a validator that rejects anything without a single defensible answer, an explanation, or plausible wrong options. How we write questions sets out the whole process, and corrections are fixed in the bank and reach the site and the app the same day.

How you practise

This unit mixes 10 different question formats, so you are recalling and applying rather than recognising the same layout every time.

Build the sentence
Choose all that apply
Fact or fib
Fill the blank
Multiple choice
Picture question
Put in order
Sort into groups
True or false
Type the answer

Practise Elections and Democracy

108 questions across 18 steps. Start with step one and crawl at your own pace.

Play this unit

Read about Elections and Democracy

Explainers from our blog on what this unit covers. Each one ends with real questions from the bank.

How Voting Systems Change Election ResultsThe same votes can produce very different parliaments depending on the counting rule. First past the post, proportional, mixed and ranked systems compared.September 9, 2026 · 4 min read

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