Voting & Elections for Teens
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One Person, No Vote : How Not All Voters Are Treated Equally
Summary:From the award-winning, New York Times-bestselling author of White Rage comes the startling–and timely–history of voter suppression in America, with a Foreword by Senator Dick Durbin. -
Vote! : women’s fight for access to the ballot box
Summary:In the battle for the right to vote, American women faced arrest, jail time, and ridicule. They organized marches, forged alliances with other social reform movements, and lobbied powerful politicians. They saw the right to vote as a guarantee of freedom and equality. Today, through voter purges, voter ID laws, and other tactics, many states make it hard for citizens–especially young people, poor people, and people of color–to register to vote and to cast ballots. What can we learn from history? And what can you do to protect your access to the ballot box? –adapted from book jacket -
Drawing the vote : the illustrated guide to the importance of voting in America
Summary:"Coinciding with the 2020 US presidential election, Drawing the Vote, an original graphic novel, looks at the history of voting rights in the United States, and how it has affected the way we vote today. Author Tommy Jenkins traces this history from the earliest steps toward democracy during the American Revolution, to the upheaval caused by the Civil War, the fight for women’s suffrage, the Civil Rights movement, the election of an African American president, and the control by a Republican majority. Along the way, Jenkins identifies events and trends that led to the unprecedented results of the 2016 presidential election that left Americans wondering, "how did this happen?" To balance these complex ideas and statistics, Kati Lacker’s clean artistic style makes the book both beautiful and accessible. At a time when many citizens are experiencing apathy about voting and skepticism concerning our bitterly divided political parties, Drawing the Vote seeks to offer some explanation for how we got here and how every American can take action to make their vote count." -
Every vote matters : the power of your voice, from student elections to the Supreme Court
Summary:Encourage teens to recognize the importance of voting and making their voices heard in the democratic process with this timely book focused on 15 Supreme Court decisions that came down to a single vote. Chapters examine key Supreme Court rulings and explore how these cases have affected the lives and rights of U.S. citizens—especially teens. The authors take a close look at often controversial cases and at the history of voting in the United States. The emphasis is involvement in local and national elections as well as other ways to be an engaged citizen. Cases include Evan Miller v. Alabama, regarding the sentencing of juvenile offenders ; Goss v. Dwight Lopez , about students ’ right to due process; and United States v. Antoine Jones, about GPS monitoring and the right to privacy. -
Votes of confidence : a young person’s guide to American elections
Summary:Every four years, coverage of the presidential elections turns into a horse-race story about who is leading, and who said what then. Fleischer explains the past, present, and future of American elections; how the election process actually works and why it matters; and how young people can become involved– not just this year, but for years to come. — adapted from back cover -
Stolen justice : the struggle for African-American voting rights
Summary:"Following the Civil War, the Reconstruction era raised a new question to those in power in the US: Should African Americans, so many of them former slaves, be granted the right to vote? In a bitter partisan fight over the legislature and Constitution, the answer eventually became yes, though only after two constitutional amendments, two Reconstruction Acts, two Civil Rights Acts, three Enforcement Acts, the impeachment of a president, and an army of occupation. Yet, even that was not enough to ensure that African American voices would be heard, or their lives protected. White supremacists loudly and intentionally prevented black Americans from voting — and they were willing to kill to do so. In this vivid portrait of the systematic suppression of the African American vote, critically acclaimed author Lawrence Goldstone traces the injustices of the post-Reconstruction era through the eyes of incredible individuals, both heroic and barbaric, and examines the legal cases that made the Supreme Court a partner of white supremacists in the rise of Jim Crow. Though this is a story of America’s past, Goldstone brilliantly draws direct links to today’s creeping threats to suffrage in this important and, alas, timely book." -
You call this democracy? : how to fix our government and deliver power to the people
Summary:"America is the greatest democracy in the world…isn’t it? Author Elizabeth Rusch examines some of the more problematic aspects of our government but, more importantly, offers ways for young people to fix them." -
Voters : from primaries to decision night
Summary:It all comes down to the voters, right? But how does the voting process work? Readers will explore the effects of primaries and caucuses, voter mobilization and turnout issues, and processes used to count the votes and determine the winner.