We hope these selections serve to educate and encourage a dialogue on topics of voting in the US, from ongoing fights for equal voting rights and fair elections to the inner workings of our electoral processes.
One Person, No Vote: How Not All Voters are Treated Equally by Carol Anderson
Anderson follows the story of government-dictated racial discrimination unfolding before our very eyes as more and more states adopt voter suppression laws. She explains how voter suppression works, and explores the resistance: the organizing, activism, and court battles to restore the basic right to vote to all Americans as the nation gears up for election season.
Learn more about voter suppression laws from the American Civil Liberties Union.
Available formats: Book, Ebook (OverDrive by Media On Demand)
Drawing the Vote: An Illustrated Guide to Voting in America by Tommy Jenkins
An original graphic novel that looks at the history of voting rights in the United States, and how it has affected the way we vote today.
Learn more about the first American election on TED-Ed from educator Kenneth C. Davis.
Available formats: Book, Ebook (Hoopla)
Votes of Confidence: A Young Person’s Guide to American Elections by Jeff Fleischer
Gives young adult readers a clear explanation about how our election process actually works, why it matters, and how they can become involved. Using real-world examples and anecdotes, this book provides readers with thorough, nonpartisan explanations about primaries, the electoral college, checks and balances, polls, fundraising, and more.
Learn more about the presidential election process from usa.gov.
Available formats: Book, Ebook (cloudLibrary), Ebook (Hoopla), Audiobook (Hoopla)
You Call this Democracy?: How to Fix Our Government and Deliver Power to the People by Elizabeth Rusch
Rusch examines some of the more problematic aspects of our government but, more importantly, offers ways for young people to fix them.
Learn more about different voting systems on TED-Ed from educator Alex Gendler.
Available formats: Book, Ebook (OverDrive by Media on Demand)
Thank You for Voting: The Past, Present, and Future of Voting by Erin Geiger Smith
Smith presents a fascinating look into America’s voting history and inspires young people to get involved. Readers will get a look at the complex history of voting and become empowered to ask BIG questions.
Learn more about the right to vote on TED-Ed from educator Nicki Beaman Griffin.
Available formats: Book, Ebook (OverDrive by Media on Demand)
Stolen Justice: The Struggle for African American Voting Rights by Lawrence Goldstone
An incisive examination of the post-Reconstruction era struggle and the suppression of African American voting rights in the United States.
Learn more about the Reconstruction era from John Green on CrashCourse.
Available formats: Book, Audiobook (Hoopla)
Turning 15 On the Road to Freedom: My Story of the 1965 Selma Voting Rights March by Lynda Blackmon Lowery
A story of the youngest person to complete the momentous Selma to Montgomery March, describing her frequent imprisonments for her participation in nonviolent demonstrations and how she felt about her involvement in historic Civil Rights events.
Learn more about the Selma Voting Rights March from Britannica.com.
Available formats: Book, Ebook (cloudLibrary)
Votes For Women!: American Suffragists and the Battle for the Ballot by Winifred Conkling
The story of the 19th Amendment and the nearly eighty-year fight for voting rights for women, covering not only the suffragists’ achievements and politics, but also the private journeys that led them to become women’s champions.
Learn more about the Women Suffrage Movement from John Green on CrashCourse.
Available formats: Book, Ebook (Hoopla), Audiobook (Hoopla)
Fake News: Separating Truth From Fiction by Michael Miller
This title explores journalistic and fact-checking standards, Constitutional protections, and real-world case studies, helping readers identify the mechanics, perpetrators, motives, and psychology of fake news.
Learn more about how to spot fake news from FactCheck.org.
Available formats: Book
True or False: A CIA Analyst’s Guide to Spotting Fake News by Cindy L. Otis
Former CIA analyst Cindy Otis takes readers through the history and impact of fake news over the centuries. She shares lessons on how to spot fake news, how to make sense of the information we receive each day, and how to understand and see past our own information biases.
Learn more about how to spot fake news from Common Sense Education.
Available formats: Book, Audiobook (Hoopla)
The Voting Booth by Brandy Colbert
The first year they are eligible to vote, Marva and Duke meet at their polling place and, over the course of one crazy day, fall in love.
Available formats: Book, Ebook (Hoopla), Audiobook (Hoopla)
Running by Natalia Sylvester
Senator Anthony Ruiz is running for president. Throughout his successful political career he has always had his daughter’s vote, but a presidential campaign brings a whole new level of scrutiny to sheltered fifteen-year-old Mariana. As tensions rise within the Ruiz family, Mari begins to learn about the details of her father’s political positions, and she realizes that her father is not the man she thought he was.
Available formats: Book, Ebook (OverDrive by Media on Demand)
The State of Us by Shaun David Hutchinson
Dean and Dre, the seventeen-year-old sons of the Republican and Democratic candidates for president of the United States, fall in love on the sidelines of their parents’ presidential campaigns.
Available formats: Book
Yes, No, Maybe So by Beck Albertalli
Jamie Goldberg, who chokes when speaking to strangers, and Maya Rehrman, who is having the worst Ramadan ever, are paired to knock on doors and ask for votes for the local state senate candidate.
Available formats: Book, Ebook (cloudLibrary), Ebook (OverDrive by Media on Demand), Audiobook (OverDrive by Media on Demand), Audiobook (Hoopla)
Additional Resources:
Rock the Vote is a nonprofit that is dedicated to building the political power of young people by pioneering innovative ways to make democratic participation more accessible and defending young people’s right to vote.
Citizens Clean Elections Commission educates the public and voters on elections, voter registration, the candidates & issues, and casting a ballot by providing unbiased, non-partisan information, so voters are able to connect directly with the facts.
U.S. Vote Foundation gives information on voting and voting requirements as it pertains to each state.
Educator Christina Greer on TED-Ed explains the electoral college and how your individual vote contributes to the popular vote and your state’s electoral vote in different ways.
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