We know it is hard to talk about political elections and voting, especially in the classroom, but no matter what age group you teach, there are many resources you can use to help your students understand our democratic process.  

Books are one of our favorite tools for introducing any number of topics, because you can draw from engaging fiction and nonfiction titles at the right reading and interest levels to build background knowledge, promote critical thinking and more. And since 2020 is an election year, now is the perfect time to use the titles in your classroom library to teach your students about voting and elections and help them become informed citizens. 

If you need to add to or refresh this area of your classroom library, take a look at our Voting & Elections collections. They are filled with new and relevant titles, mostly nonfiction, that contain diverse and inclusive images and include topics like how our democracy is organized, what it means to be an active citizen and how elections work in the United States and other parts of the world.

Download our FREE Printable Voting & Elections Activities 

In addition to helping educators find the right books to start conversations about the upcoming election, we’ve created free printables you can download and use in the classroom (or send home if students are learning remotely). Use these printables to reinforce and expand concepts introduced in the books in our Voting & Elections collections or as a general supplement to lessons on voting and elections.

Printables for K-2: Learn About Voting and Create I Voted Stickers 

Young students can learn more about voting by creating and filling out voting ballots and designing I Voted stickers for family and friends. 

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Printables for 3-5: Write a Speech and Create a Go Vote Poster 

Help upper elementary students expand their knowledge of democratic processes by asking them to design a Go Vote poster or to pretend they are running for class president and write a speech. 

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Printables for 6-12: Think Critically About the Presidency and Create a Get Out the Vote Campaign 

Encourage middle and high school students to dig deeper by asking them to think critically about qualifications for the presidency and create their own Get Out the Vote campaign. 

Add Our Voting & Election Collections to Your Classroom Library 

Voting is one of the primary ways we participate in our democracy, so Booksource has created grade-banded collections of books that are grade appropriate and provide information about voting and elections. All titles are non-partisan and have been selected to help educators teach students to think critically and become informed and empowered citizens. Keep reading to learn more about the topics covered and see examples of the titles included at each grade band.  

Number of Books: 8 
Price: $41.93 

Provide foundational information about democracy and inform students about the voting process, the role the president and elected officials and how to be a good citizen.  

Titles include: Helping Mayor Patty; What Is the President’s Job?; Let’s Take a Vote: Taking Civic Action 

Number of Books: 8 
Price: $64.75 

Reinforce foundational concepts while growing student knowledge of why elections are important, respecting opposing viewpoints and how elections are a form of activism. 

Titles include: Elections: Why They Matter to You; How Do People Vote?; Voting for the President of the United States 

Number of Books: 8 
Price: $72.10 

Explore deeper concepts around voting and the election process by providing historical context and information about the electoral college. 

Titles include: Electing Leaders; Political Parties; Susan B. Anthony: On a Woman’s Right to Vote 

Number of Books: 8 
Price: $99.22 

Encourage critical thinking by highlighting the history of voting rights and inequities, the importance of media evaluation and the power of voting to create change. 

Titles include: Every Vote Matters: The Power of Your Voice, from Student Elections to the Supreme Court; Fake News: Read All About It; One Person, No Vote: How Not All Voters Are Treated Equally (Young Readers Edition) 

Do you have any go-to books or resources you like to use when discussing voting with your students? Tell us about them in the comments section below!