Voting & Elections

Find key election dates, voter registration information, and other helpful voting resources.

As part of our Civic Engagement project, here's a selection of books, articles, podcasts, and other resources related to voting and elections.

Questions? Suggestions? Contact us at info@mgpl.org or 847-965-4220.

Books for Children (Fiction)

• Vote for Me! by Ben Clanton
• Grace Goes to Washington by Kelly DiPucchio
• A is for Activist by Innosanto Nagara
• Lillian’s Right to Vote by Jonah Winter & Shane W. Evans
• Sofia Valdez and the Vanishing Vote by Andrea Beaty
• Gabriela Speaks Out by Teresa E. Harris
• Vote: The Theory, Practice, and Destructive Properties of Politics by Gary Paulsen
• President of the Whole Fifth Grade by Sherri Winston

Books for Children (Nonfiction)

• V is for Voting by Kate Farrell
• What is an Election? by Caryn Jenner
• When You Grow Up to Vote by Eleanor Roosevelt
• Lifting as We Climb: Black Women’s Battle for the Ballot Box by Evette Dionne
• We the People: The United States Constitution Explored and Explained by Aura Lewis
• The Power Book: What Is It, Who Has It and Why? by Claire Saunders

Resources for Parents

• 5 Easy Ways to Talk to Kids About Voting, PBS
• 5 Ways You Can Teach Children about the Importance of Voting, HarperCollins
• The Election Collection, PBS
• Voting and Elections | Resources for a Civil Classroom, Teaching Tolerance

Books for Teens (Fiction) 

• All the Days Past, All the Days to Come by Mildred D Taylor 
• Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli 
• Running by Natalia Sylvester 
• The Voting Booth by Brandy Colbert 
• The State of Us by Shaun David Hutchinson 
• You Say It First by Katie Cotugno 

Books for Teens (Nonfiction) 

• Why Don’t Americans Vote?: Causes and Consequences 
• Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom: My Story of the 1965 Selma Voting Rights March by Lynda Blackmon Lowery 
• One Person, No Vote: How Not All Voters are Treated Equally by Carol Anderson 

Books for Adults (Fiction) 

• Cleo McDougal Regrets Nothing by Allison Winn Scotch
• Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld
• Enter the Aardvark by Jessica Anthony
• The Voter File by David Pepper 
• The Big Lie by James Grippando 
• Campaign Widows by Aimee Agresti 

Books for Adults (Nonfiction) 

• States of Confusion by Don Waisanen
• Drawing the Vote: An Illustrated Guide to Voting in America by Tommy Jenkins 
• American Political Parties and Elections: A Very Short Introduction by Louis Sandy Maisel 
• Thank You for Voting: The Maddening, Enlightening, Inspiring Truth about Voting in America by Erin Geiger Smith 
• What You Need to Know About Voting and Why by Kim Wehle 
• The Infographic Guide to American Government: A Visual Reference for Everything You Need to Know by Carissa Lytle 

Articles 

• Why Voting is Important (National Geographic)
• Why Voting Matters by Sean McElwee (DEMOS)
• Presidential Election Process (USA.gov)
• Gerrymandering (FairVote)
• Gerrymandering (ACLU)
• The Electoral College, National Conference of State Legislators 
• What Good are Elections, Anyway? by Jennifer Victor (Vox)

Documentaries & Videos 

• The Vote (PBS)
• Your Vote is Your Voice (Kanopy)
• Voting Paradoxes, The Great Courses (Kanopy)

Podcasts 

• Vote! 
• How the Electoral College Works, Stuff You Should Know 
• Civics 101