The Civic Zone will be set up around the library, offering information and activities about current issues. Our goal is to help people think critically, build trust in the community, and find common ground on important topics. The first topic we are highlighting is voting.
Get ready for election season with help from the library! Voting gives you a voice in decisions that affect your community, state, and nation. Make your vote count!
The resources linked below can help you support candidates and measures that align with your vision for a better future. Take the time to learn about the candidates and measures on your ballot. Print a sample ballot, read the candidates’ position statements, and learn about all sides to the issues. An informed voter is an empowered voter.
Visit our Civic Zone in the library for more information, interactive learning opportunities, and books you can check out.
Michigan Voter Information Center – Links and information about when, where, and how to vote.
BallotReady.org – Enter your address to research your ballot, check your voter registration, find your polling place, or request a ballot.
Vote.org: Offers information on how to register, check registration status, and learn about voting in your state.
CanIVote.org: Run by the National Association of Secretaries of State, it helps you find out if you’re registered and how to vote in your state.
Ballotpedia: A comprehensive resource for information on candidates, ballot measures, and election dates.
League of Women Voters of Michigan: Provides nonpartisan information on candidates and issues on the ballot.
Rock the Vote: Focuses on engaging young voters with tools to register, learn about the voting process, and get involved.
https://electionfactsmi.com – Voting basics in Michigan from the States United Democracy Center. The States United Democracy Center is a nonpartisan organization advancing free, fair, and secure elections.https://statesunited.org/
Vote411.org: Offers personalized voting information, including polling places and what’s on your ballot.
Articles
Opposing Viewpoints: Voter Registration
Opposing Viewpoints: Voting Laws
Books for Adults
What You Need to Know About Voting and Why by Kim Wehle
100% Democracy: The Case for Universal Voting by E.J. Dionne
Let the People Pick the President: The Case for Abolishing the Electoral College by Jesse Wegman
Thank You for Voting: The Maddening, Enlightening, Inspiring Truth about Voting in America by Erin Geige Smith
Our Unfinished March: The Violent Past and Imperiled Future of the Vote– a History, a Crisis, a Plan by Eric Holder
Bending Toward Justice: The Voting Rights Act and the Transformation of American Democracy by Gary May
Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America by Ari Berman
Why Do We Still Have the Electoral College? By Alexander Keyssar
Our Time is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair America by Stacey Abrams
Say it Louder!: Black Voters, White Narratives, and Saving our Democracy by Tiffany Cross
Why Cities Lose: The Deep Roots of the Urban-Rural Political Divide by Jonathan Rodden
Mr. President, How Long Must We Wait?: Alice Paul, Woodrow Wilson, and the Fight for the Right to Vote by Tina Cassidy
Books for Teens
Election Manipulation: Is America’s Voting System Secure? By John Allen
One Person, No Vote: How Not All Voters are Treated Equally by Carol Anderson
Books for Children
We Shall Not be Denied: a Timeline of Voting Rights and Suppression in America by Cayla Bellanger DeGroat
Your Vote Matters: How We Elect the US President by Rebecca Katzman
The Electoral College by Daniel Faust
The Electoral College by Phil Corso
Voting for the President of the United States by Shannon Harts
I Voted: Making a Choice Makes a Difference by Mark Shulman
Give Us the Vote!: Over Two Hundred Years of Fighting for the Ballot by Susan Goldman Rubin
My Vote Counts by Candace Parker
When You Grow Up to Vote: How Our Government Works for You by Eleanor Roosevelt
Voting in Elections by Jack Manning
Eyewitness Vote by Philip Steele