September 17 is National Voter Registration Day. We have compiled a list of titles, mostly nonfiction and educational, surrounding the topic of voting. We invite you to read, learn, and register to vote.
I Voted: Making a Choice Makes a Difference, DB107902, by Mark Shulman
An introduction to voting by explaining the concept of choosing individually and as a group highlighting the strategies involved in selecting a classroom pet. The author explains how those same principles apply when we choose and vote for leaders at the local, state, and national level. For grades K-3. 2020.
Lillian's Right to Vote: A Celebration of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, DBC06809, by Jonah Winter
Lillian is an old woman, but she still wants to vote. She is the great-great-granddaughter of slaves, sold in front of the courthouse where Lillian now wants to vote. In those days, only rich white men could vote. The Civil War, the women's suffrage movement, and social protests are all parts of the story bringing about the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a law protecting every citizen's right to vote. For grades K-3. 2021.
One Vote, Two Votes, I Vote, You Vote, DBC25080, by Bonnie Worth
Written in simple rhyme, this Cat in the Hat's Learning Library Book introduces early readers to the concept and practice of voting with a focus on the American Presidency! For grades 2-4. 2016.
Vote for Our Future! BR023178, by Margaret McNamara and Micah Player
The students at Stanton Elementary School, which is a polling place, find out all they can about voting and then encourage everyone in their neighborhoods to cast their ballots. PRINT/BRAILLE. For grades K-3. 2020.
A Vote for Susanna the First Woman Mayor, DBC17319, by Karen M. Greenwald
In 1887 Susanna Salter was ready to vote for the first time ever. The State of Kansas had just given women the right to vote in municipal elections. But some men in Susanna's hometown, Argonia, did not think she, or any other woman should have a say in choosing their next mayor. They put Susanna on the ballot for mayor, as a joke. They were sure she would lose, and then women like her would stay at home, where they belonged. But the joke was on them when Susanna won the race! Told by a grandmother who remembers what happened on that fateful election day, this is a true story of a woman who stood up for her right to vote and accomplished so much more. For grades K-3. 2021.
For Which We Stand: How our government works and why it matters, DB102033, by Jeff Foster
Foster, an AP government teacher, discusses America's founding documents, the three branches of government, how the voting process works, the Electoral College, political parties, and more. Commercial audiobook. For grades 3-6. 2020.
America Votes: How Our President Is Elected, BR015268, by Linda Granfield
Explains the U.S. presidential election process including its history, the role of political parties, becoming a candidate, campaign finance, voting fraud, the electoral college, and casting ballots. Emphasizes the right and the responsibility of citizens to vote. For grades 4-7. 2003.
Are American Elections Fair? BR017757, by Stuart A. Kallen
Ten essays debate the U.S. election process. Includes arguments for and against the electoral college, electronic voting machines, felons' and undocumented immigrants’ voting rights, and campaign finance reform. Discusses the disputed presidential election of 2000 and provides a list of relevant organizations. For junior and senior high readers. 2006.
Our Unfinished March: The Violent Past and Imperiled Future of the Vote -- a History, a Crisis, a Plan, DB109456, by Eric H. Holder and Sam Koppelman
Since the gutting of the Voting Rights act in the landmark Shelby County v. Holder case in 2013, many states have passed laws restricting the vote. America is a fragile democracy whose citizens have only had unfettered access to the ballot since the 1960s. The author takes readers through three dramatic stories of how the vote was won: first by white men, through violence and insurrection; then by white women, through protests and mass imprisonments; and finally, by African Americans, in the face of lynchings and terrorism. Full of surprising history, intensive analysis, and actionable plans, this is a powerful primer on our most urgent political struggle from one of the country's leading advocates. Commercial audiobook. 2022.
On Account of Race: The Supreme Court, White Supremacy, and the Ravaging of African American Voting Rights, DB109026, by Lawrence Goldstone
One promise of democracy is the right of every citizen to vote. And yet, from our founding, strong political forces were determined to limit that right. The Supreme Court, Alexander Hamilton wrote, would protect the weak against this very sort of tyranny. Complex threats against the right to vote persist even today. Beginning in 1876, the Supreme Court systematically dismantled the equal protection guarantees of the Fourteenth Amendment and the right to vote in the Fifteenth. And so, a half million African Americans across the South who had risked their lives and property to be allowed to cast ballots were stricken from voting rolls by white supremacists. This book tells the story of an American tragedy, the only occasion in United States history in which a group of citizens who had been granted the right to vote then had it stripped away. It is a warning that the right to vote is fragile and must be carefully guarded and actively preserved lest American democracy perish. Commercial audiobook. 2020.
A Real Right to Vote: How a Constitutional Amendment Can Safeguard American Democracy, DB119833, by Richard L. Hasen
Throughout history, too many Americans have been disenfranchised or faced needless barriers to vote. Part of the blame falls on the Constitution, which does not contain an affirmative right to vote. The Supreme Court has made matters worse by failing to protect voting rights and limiting Congress's ability to do so. The time has come for voters to act and push for an amendment to the Constitution that would guarantee this right for all. Commercial audiobook. 2024.