Elections and Voting

Looking for a way to talk to your kids about the upcoming election? Ready to inspire some young folks to become active citizens? Here are some engaging books — non-fiction and beyond — that talk about elections, voting rights, and history.

Vote! by Eileen Christelow (2003)

The family pets of a candidate for mayor discuss the process of voting in a fun, cartoon-like style. A friendly look at the basics of elections.

Lillian’s Right to Vote: A Celebration of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by Jonah Winter and Shane W. Evans (2015)

100-year-old Lillian reflects on the history of voting rights as she takes the long, uphill walk to her polling place to cast her vote. The illustrations superimpose the past and present, giving weight to Lillian’s memories and the importance of her journey to vote.

Around America to Win the Vote: Two Suffragists, a Kitten, and 10,000 Miles by Mara Rockliff and Hadley Hooper (2016)

A biographic story of Nell Richardson and Alice Burke who drove across the country (and back) starting in 1916 to campaign for a woman’s right to vote and prove that women are capable of anything. Their yellow car and cat are their companions on the long trip.

Vote for Our Future! by Margaret McNamara and Micah Player (2020)

The school may close for Election Day, but the students are busy registering voters, canvassing, helping arrange rides to polling places, and more. Sweet book for young activists.

See How They Run: Campaign Dreams, Election Schemes, and the Race to the White House by Susan E. Goodman and Elwood H. Smith (2008)

If your kid wants more info than the picture books are offering, this lively choice is packed with information and anecdotes about the process of becoming president.

Sofia Valdez and the Vanishing Vote (The Questioneers series) by Andrea Beaty and David Roberts (2020)

Sofia’s second grade class is always up for an adventure and they tackle choosing a class pet by setting it up as an election. Sofia is appointed as the election commissioner. When politics get heated, she finds ways to ensure the election is fair.

Drawing the Vote: An Illustrated Guide to Voting in America by Tommy Jenkins and Kati Lacker (2020)

This YA graphic novel is great for getting teens interested and informed about the history of voting in the United States. Broken into sections of time, Jenkins and Lacker take us through how voting rules and rights were established and what’s happened to change and challenge those laws.