Name_______________________________________________
Participation in Government
Create your own Political Party Project
From what we’ve talked about in class, you know that very few people fit perfectly within one political party. With such
a wide variety of policy agenda issues, most people end up voting for the candidate from the party that aligns with most
of their beliefs. To solve that problem, you are going to create your own political party that more accurately represents
your beliefs. You may work individually, with a partner, or in a group of 3 people. PLEASE NOTE: if you choose to work
with other students, be aware that your grade is dependent on the amount of work they put into the project, so
choose carefully.
Task #1: CREATING A POLITICAL PARTY
1) Identity:
Your new party needs a name, symbol, and slogan. You can either draw your symbol or choose a picture available on the
Internet (with proper citation, of course). You MAY NOT choose a name, symbol, or slogan that is associated with a
current or past political party. Describe your choices and your party’s general philosophy in at least 5 sentences.
2) Platform:
Create a political party platform in which your group states your beliefs/advocacy on a minimum of 15 policy issues.
Must be included:
 Immigration
 Social Welfare
 Education
 Abortion
 Healthcare
 Environment (global warming, regulations)
 Gun Control
 Gay Rights/Same-Sex Marriage
 National Security (military spending/size,
diplomacy)
 Economy/Taxes
 Capital Punishment
Other Options (choose at least 4):
 War on Drugs and Drug Laws
 Influence of Special Interest Groups & Lobbyists
 Peace in the Middle East (Israel)
 Federal Deficit
 Global Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
 Campaign Finance Reform
 Afghanistan/Iraq War
 Humanitarian Aid
 Congressional Term Limits
 Minimum Wage
 Any other issue you think is important, but must
be cleared with me first
For each issue, you should not simply agree/disagree with the existing parties’ stand. Instead, talk through the issues
and create your own unique statement that reflects your party’s position. Use academic vocabulary and constitutional
justification for your beliefs. Position statements must be 2-4 sentences in length. After creating your platform, rank
these issues by importance to your party. In fact, you may want to wait to choose a name and symbol until you have
prioritized – as this may reveal the “core value” of your party.
Please Note: I do not care what position you take. I do not care if you are more to the left or the right, I only care
that you are logical 
3) Presidential candidate:
Create a party leader to run for President. Provide a detailed explanation of why this person was chosen to lead the
party. This information should be found on the poster and Google slides.
Format
Your project can be in a Google slides using Zen PowerPoint example to help guide you On the due date, your party will
submit to me your project IN PRINT (not by email). The cover must feature your party’s name, slogan and symbol. Inside,
you will list your fifteen party statements in priority order with a bolded header indicating the beginning of each new
section.
Task #2: Mounting the Political Campaign
The election is right around the corner; you need to acquire the most amount of votes as possible.
Campaign poster: You are to create a campaign poster with: the name of the party, name of party candidate, brief
biography, party’s logo and slogan.
An Election Speech: to be delivered on election dat. It should be persuasive and informative(Maximum 2.5 minutes) The
speech must be submitted in written form. All group members should participate
Task #3: Election Day:
Election day: Each political party will present their campaign products (give platform, show logo, leader, poster, flyer)
The Polls Open: We will vote and follow only one rule, you cannot vote for your own party.
The Polls Close:
The votes are counted and the winning party if declared.
We will be in the computer lab for at least 4 days prior to your project’s due date.
Grading Rubric for a
Power Point/Google Slides Project
Awesome
Admirable
Acceptable
Unacceptable
Self-
Teacher
4
3
2
1
Assessment
Assessment
Critical thinking
Thoughtfully and
accurately
interprets results,
shows in-depth
understanding of
major ideas
Identifies relevant
arguments,
justifies results,
offers reasons
Usually justifies
results and offers
reasons
Misinterprets
data, gives
unjustified
arguments
Quality of
information
Covers topic
thoroughly,
includes details
that support the
topic
Includes essential
information,
includes some
supporting details
Includes most
essential
information,
details are
somewhat
sketchy
Lacks essential
information
Organization
Well organized
and coherent,
topics are in
logical sequence,
Organized, some
topics are out of
logical order,
conclusions are
Some
organization,
topics jump
around,
Not organized,
topics make no
sense
includes clear
introduction and
conclusions
generally clear
conclusions are
unclear
Grammar and
spelling
All grammar and
spelling are
correct
Only one or two
errors
More than two
errors
Very frequent
grammar and/or
spelling errors
Visual design
Visually
appealing, clean
simple layout, text
is easy to read,
graphics enhance
understanding of
ideas
Visually attractive,
text is easy to
read, colors
enhance
readability,
graphics and
special effects do
not distract from
understanding
ideas
Text is sometimes
hard to read,
sometimes
graphics or special
effects distract
from
understanding
Text is very
difficult to read,
layout is cluttered
and confusing
Oral presentation
Well prepared,
speaks clearly,
makes eye
contact with
audience, delivers
with ease, invites
questions
Engages audience,
fluid delivery,
uses different
approach other
than simply
reading screen,
invites questions
Clear and
understandable,
uses limited
delivery
techniques
Not clear, not
understandable
Teamwork
Willingly accepts
and fulfills
individual role in
group, sensitive to
feelings and
needs of group
members
Fulfills individual
role within group
without
prompting,
respectful of
others
Works toward
group goals with
occasional
prompting,
maintains positive
attitude
Works toward
group goals only
when prompted,
needs occasional
reminders to be
sensitive to others
Total