Reader. Voter. Ready.

National Voter Registration Day

Sign up your library to participate in National Voter Registration Day, September 17!

Voting is one of the greatest privileges and responsibilities of citizenship in the United States. Yet, turnout in national elections is consistently lower than two-thirds of eligible voters. Participation rates among multiple demographic groups and in state or local elections are often lower still. There is frequent talk about the critical role of libraries in our democracy. What does that look like in practice? Libraries are nonpartisan, but they are not indifferent. As institutions that provide access to information, resources, programs, and public spaces for all members of a community, libraries are a cornerstone for civic engagement and more important than ever.

Voter Engagement Resources

NEW WEBINAR: League of Women Voters and America's Libraries: Partners to Count On

Highlighting local library/LWV partnerships collaborating on civic education, voter engagement, running for office, and dealing with dis/misinformation. Speakers shared actionable ideas and key learnings from their work together.

State Voting & Election Toolkits-ALA's Government Documents Round Table

Developed by a team of librarians from across the country, the toolkits provide state-by-state voting and election information, including registration forms, polling places, deadlines, and more. General resources such as lesson plans and voting hotlines are included as well. GODORT (Government Documents Round Table) created these resources so that librarians can use as-is or adapt to meet the information needs of their libraries.

Voting and Election Resources for Teachers and Students-ALA's Government Documents Round Table

This collection of civic education resources from government agencies includes lesson plans, overviews of federal government, and resources to help students learn how to be informed voters.

Media Literacy in the Library: A Guide for Library Practitioners-ALA

This guide offers resources and ideas to plan programs and activities to teach media literacy skills to adults and to integrate these skills into programming already in place at libraries. Chapters include architecture of the internet, civics, misinformation and disinformation, and more.

ALA Voter Engagement Partners

Libraries and Voter Engagement in the News

For additional information on ALA's voter engagement resources, contact:

Gavin Baker,
Deputy Director, Public Policy and Government Relations
gbaker@alawash.org

For press and media requests related to ALA's voter engagement activities, contact:

Shawnda Hines
Deputy Director, Communications
Public Policy & Advocacy
shines@alawash.org