For Future Voters! (For the kids!)

Other Fun Stuff To Do During This Fall’s 2024 Elections!

• Ask the elders and older grownups in your family and neighborhood to share their memories about voting.
• At what age did they start voting? What was it like back then? What did voting mean to them? What does it mean now? 
• Be sure to record these treasured voting stories on video or in a notebook.
• Consider sharing these stories with your teachers and other community members.

• Our great nation is known throughout the world as the land of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness where every child is free to pursue their dreams and be whatever they wish to be when they grow up! Protecting our democracy and our freedom to vote protects each child’s dreams.
• Make a Freedom to Vote Protects My Freedom To Be poster! What do you want to be when you grow up?

For Voters! (For the grownups!)

General Information

• How do I register to vote and vote? For information on how to register to vote, update your information, and options for voting, we suggest visiting official government websites, including https://vote.gov/ and https://www.usa.gov/voting-and-elections. You can also find official state and local election website information here: https://www.nass.org/initiatives/trustedinfo.

• What if I have a question or problem while registering to vote or voting? Go to Election Protection, a nonpartisan coalition of voter protection groups: https://866ourvote.org/. You can also reach Election Protection via text or phone in English at 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683). For Spanish/English, call 888-VE-Y-VOTA (888-839-8682). For Asian Languages/English, call 888-API-VOTE (888-274-8683). For Arabic/English, call  844-YALLA-US (844-925-5287).

• What ID do I bring to the polls? For information on what identification (if any) is needed to cast your ballot, go to the sources listed above as well as the National Conference of State Legislatures: https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/voter-id#toggleContent-15991. If you need help obtaining identification, check out the nonprofit group, Vote Riders: https://www.voteriders.org/. 

Voting with a Past Felony Conviction

• Where do I get information about voting after a felony conviction? If you are formerly incarcerated and/or a person with a past conviction, you can check the rules in state governing voter eligibility here: 
• Restore Your Vote: https://campaignlegal.org/restoreyourvote. 
• U.S. Department of Justice: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-releases-guide-state-voting-rules-apply-after-criminal-convictions

• You can also join up with local, regional, and national groups advocating for the restoration of rights for people with convictions:
• Formerly Incarcerated, Convicted People, and Families Movement (FICPFM): https://ficpfm.org/
• Voice of the Experienced (VOTE) in Louisiana: https://www.voiceoftheexperienced.org/
• Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC): https://floridarrc.com/.
• Kentuckians for the Commonwealth: https://kftc.org/
• Advancement Project: https://advancementproject.org/issue/voting-rights/.
• Sentencing Project: https://www.sentencingproject.org/issues/voting-rights/
• Campaign Legal Center: https://campaignlegal.org/.
• Southern Poverty Law Center: https://www.splcenter.org/presscenter/splc-co-counsel-statements-mississippi-voter-re-enfranchisement-case.
• Forward Justice: https://forwardjustice.org/.

Interested in a Deeper Dive on Voting Rights?

• Where can I learn about voting rights cases and laws? 
• The Voting Section of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice: https://www.justice.gov/crt/voting-section.
• Major Pending Election Cases: https://electioncases.osu.edu/. 
• Democracy Docket: https://www.democracydocket.com/ 

• Where can I find more information about Native American contributions to democracy?
• U.S. Senate Resolution (1987-1988) acknowledging the contributions of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy to the development of the U.S. Constitution: https://www.congress.gov/bill/100th-congress/house-concurrent-resolution/331#:~:text=H.-,Con.,States%20established%20in%20the%20Constitution/
• National Museum of the American Indian: https://americanindian.si.edu/sites/1/files/pdf/education/HaudenosauneeGuide.pdf
• “Democracy is a Native American concept.” –https://vote.narf.org/ (NARF is the well-known and highly respected Native American voting rights organization.)
• U.S. democracy inspired by Native Americans: https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2023/09/the-haudenosaunee-confederacy-and-the-constitution/#:~:text=The%20Senate%20recognized%20the%20influence,known%20to%20have%20greatly%20admired

Sources and References for the History of the Struggle for the Right to Vote 

Our sources for this book and suggestions for further reading on voting rights include the following:

Eric Foner, The Second Founding: How the Civil War and Reconstruction Remade the Constitution (2019)

Alexander Keyssar, The Right to Vote: The Contested History of Democracy in the United States (2009)

Ellen Carol Dubois, Suffrage: Women’s Long Battle for the Right to Vote (2020)

Carol Anderson, One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy (2018)

Gilda Daniels, Uncounted: The Crisis of Voter Suppression in America (2020)

Ari Berman, GIve Us The Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America (2015)

Voter Rights Community Survey Discussion Guide

How to Hold a Mock Election

Design Your Own "Future Voter" Sticker Coloring Sheet

Acknowledgements and Gratitude

Jennifer Lai-Peterson would like to thank Attorney Robert Armstrong of Washington, D.C. for his research contributions to our book. She would also like to thank Erik, Baba Curtis, Judith, Franita, and Josh.