An Election Day 2024 Booklist

Today is Election Day! Many people of voting age (18 years old and older) are visiting their local polling location to cast their ballot. If you're interested in learning more about voting and elections, check out the books below.

If you're eligible to vote, visit NYC Votes to find out how and where to vote, and what's on the ballot. Your vote matters!

FICTION

1. Running by Natalia Sylvester: When fifteen-year-old Cuban American Mariana Ruiz's father runs for president, Mari starts to see him with new eyes. A novel about waking up and standing up, and what happens when you stop seeing your dad as your hero-while the whole country is watching"-- Senator Anthony Ruiz is running for president. Throughout his successful political career he has always had his daughter's vote, but this presidential campaign brings a whole new level of scrutiny to Mariana and the rest of her Cuban American family. From a live tour of their home to doctored photos that go viral , Mari is in the middle of it all. As student activism grows at her school, Mari realizes her father is not the man she thought he was. How do you find your voice when everyone is watching-- and when it means disagreeing with your father publicly?
2. The Voting Booth by Brandy Colbert: The first year they are eligible to vote, Marva and Duke meet at their polling place and, over the course of one crazy day, fall in love.-- Marva Sheridan has always been driven to make a difference in the world, and what better way than to vote in her first election? Duke Crenshaw is so done with this election; he just wants to get voting over with so he can prepare for his band's first paying gig tonight. Only problem? Duke can't vote. When Marva sees Duke turned away from their polling place, she takes it upon herself to make sure his vote is counted. And that's how their whirlwind day begins, rushing from precinct to precinct, cutting school, waiting in endless lines, turned away time and again, trying to do one simple thing: vote. Soon it's clear that there is more to their connection than a shared mission for democracy.
3. Wide Awake Now by David Levithan: A gay Jewish man has just been elected president of the United States--or so it seems, until the governor of Kansas decides that some election results in his state are invalid and awards crucial votes to the other candidate, his fellow party member. Things quickly go very wrong--and hundreds of thousands of people flock to Kansas to protest for what they believe is right and just. Among them are Jimmy and Duncan, teens who are not only fighting for the future of their country but for the future of their relationship, too. 
4. Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed: Jamie Goldberg, who chokes when speaking to strangers, and Maya Rehrman, who is having the worst Ramadan ever, are paired to knock on doors and ask for votes for the local state senate candidate.
5. You Say It First by Katie Cotugno: Meg has her entire life set up perfectly: she and her best friend, Emily, plan to head to Cornell together in the fall, and she volunteers at a voter registration call center in her Philadelphia suburb. But everything changes when one of those calls connects her to a stranger from small-town Ohio. Colby is stuck in a rut, reeling from a family tragedy and working a dead-end job. The last thing he has time for is some privileged rich girl preaching the sanctity of the political process. So he says the worst thing he can think of and hangs up. But things don't end there. That night on the phone winds up being the first in a series of candid, sometimes heated, always surprising conversations that lead to a long-distance friendship and then, slowly, to something more. Across state lines and phone lines, Meg and Colby form a once-in-a-lifetime connection. But in the end, are they just too different to make it work?

NON-FICTION

1. Drawing the Vote : a graphic novel history for future voters by Tommy Jenkins: In this updated edition of Drawing the Vote, an original graphic novel, looks at the history of voting rights in the United States and how it affects the way we vote today.
2. Fair Elections and Voting Rights by Sheryl Normandeau: In the United States, citizens elect leaders to represent them in the government. They do so by voting in elections. Voting gives people a say in how the government is run. But not everyone has always had the right to vote. Throughout history, many people had to fight for equal voting rights. Fair Elections and Voting Rights explores US elections, looking at how voting has changed over time and how people keep elections fair. 
3. One Person, No Vote: How Not All Voters Are Treated Equally by Carol with Tonya Bolden Anderson: This young adult adaptation brings to light the shocking truth about how not every voter is treated equally. After the election of Barack Obama, a rollback of voting rights occurred, punctuated by a 2013 Supreme Court decision that undid the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Known as the Shelby ruling, this decision allowed districts with a history of racial discrimination to change voting requirements without approval from the Department of Justice. This book follows the stunning aftermath of that ruling and explains how voter suppression works, from photo ID requirements to gerrymandering to poll closures. It also explores the resistance: the organizing, activism, and court battles to restore the basic right to vote to all Americans.
4. Represent: The Unfinished Fight for the Vote by Michael Eric Dyson & Marc Favreau: Drawing clear lines from past to present, this important book chronicles the epic quest to build the democracy outlined in the Constitution, telling the dramatic story of voting rights in the U.S., from the American Revolution to today.
5. We Shall Not Be Denied: A Timeline of Voting Rights and Suppression in America by Cayla Bellanger DeGroat & Cicely Lewis: An in-depth look at voting rights in the US, particularly examining when certain groups of people won the right to vote. Special features expand on the text and highlight why voting is important.
6. You Call This Democracy? How to Fix Our Government and Deliver Power to the People by Elizabeth Rusch, illustrated by Ellen Duda: 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. The political landscape has never been so tumultuous: issues with the electoral college, gerrymandering, voter suppression, and a lack of representation in the polls and in our leadership have led to Americans of all ages asking, How did we get here? The power to change lies with the citizens of this great country, especially teens!