Alabama Senate race: Why special elections matter

Image by Jake Mapping2015 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Story

1. On Tuesday, Alabama voters headed to the polls in a special election for U.S. Senate between Republican Roy Moore and Democrat Doug Jones. Poll results have been mixed, some putting Moore and others putting Jones ahead.
   • A special election is held when a lawmaker resigns, dies or is removed from office before they complete their term. In this case, President Donald Trump picked Senator Jeff Sessions to become the U.S. Attorney General, creating an empty Senate seat.
2. The election has been dominated by news of sexual misconduct allegations against Roy Moore.
   • Nine women accuse Moore of pursuing them romantically when most of them were in their teens and he was in his 30s. Two women were minors, 16 and 14-years old, when they said Moore assaulted them. He has denied all allegations.
3. Moore, a former state judge who has spoken out against gay and transgender people, maintains a loyal following. His candidacy is dividing the Republican party.
4. Democrat Doug Jones is a former U.S. attorney who successfully prosecuted members of the Ku Klux Klan for killing four African-American girls during a Birmingham church bombing in 1963. Some voters say Jones is too liberal (he is pro-choice) and prefer to vote based on party lines.
5. The Republican party currently holds majorities in both houses of Congress. If Jones wins, the Senate would still be held by Republicans by a margin of 51 to 49.
6. Donald Trump won Alabama by an overwhelming margin in the 2016 presidential election. He has given his full support for Roy Moore.

Discussion questions

1. Essential question: Why do you think the U.S. Senate race in Alabama has gained such a high level of national and world attention?
2. If you lived in Alabama, what factors would play a role in your vote?
3. Why is party loyalty a significant factor in how people vote?
4. Similar to midterm elections, special elections have a much lower voter turnout compared to presidential election years.
   • Why do you think this is the case?
   • What would need to happen to improve low voter turnout in special elections?
   • Media literacy: How could you find out about other special elections and the important role they have played in U.S. history?

Extension activity

Breakout activity: Read the introductory paragraph together as a class of the NewsHour article, "What to watch in Alabama's Senate race." Then break out into 5 groups; each group will have one section of the article to read. What are three key points from each section? Report back to class and discuss what elements are the most important to watch for in the Alabama race.

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