While everyone’s mind is on the 2020 elections, it's a good time to brush up on the history of elections in the United States. While everyone’s mind is also on the fight for racial justice it is an even better time to learn about the history of voter disenfranchisement and suppression.

Elections are a constant in our lives—our civic duty is requested much more often than every four years for a presidential election. We vote on school budgets and elect local officials like mayors, district attorneys and borough presidents, and state officials like senators and assembly members. In many places we have the opportunity to vote on ballot measures on a variety of topics.

Voter rights are important all year long, so here are some books and other resources, from a variety of perspectives, to help you learn more about the long and troubled struggle for voting equality. We also encourage you to peruse NYPL's  2020 Election Reading List—90 books covering a spectrum of important voting issues (find a list of accessible titles here). We also have election book lists for teens, and kids.

Thank You For Voting: The Maddening, Enlightening, Inspiring Truth About Voting in America by Erin Geiger Smith (2020) 

Smith explores the low voter turnout in 2016 and what voter education might do to raise that number. The book offers historical insight and includes ideas of how individuals and even corporations can get the masses motivated to vote. Several voting issues are addressed in a way that is easy to understand for new voters. 

 

 

 

Say it Louder! Black Voters, White Narrative, and Saving Our Democracy by Tiffany Cross (2020) 

Cross examines the history of voting with a specific focus on Black people as a voting bloc. Cross is a media personality and political analyst so she gives the reader a lot to think about in terms of media influence. 

 

 

 

 

The Hidden History of the War on Voting: Who Stole Your Vote, and How to Get it Back by Thom Hartmann (2020) 

Hartmann, a radio host, knows how to engage an audience. The book explains the history and current iterations of voter suppression, like many books on this list, but he also offers suggestions for how the U.S. can change the voting system for the better. 

 

 

 

Let the People Pick the President: The Case for Abolishing the Electoral College by Jesse Wegman (2020)

While most of the books on this list will briefly discuss the issues surrounding the Electoral College, Wegman, a journalist, digs deep and includes historical context as well as 21st century insights from campaign workers to make the case for doing away with the current election process. 

 

 

 

Vote for US: How to Take Back Our Elections and Change the Future of Voting by Joshua Douglas (2019)

Once you’ve learned about voter suppression you may need a pick-me-up. Douglas focuses on the good with examples of everyday citizens making change and all of the new, positive initiatives for reform. It is easy to digest and fun to read because the perspectives are not just from the author. 

 

 

 

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

Continuing her racial justice work, Anderson chronicles what happened after the 2013 Shelby decision to meddle with the Voting Rights Act of 1968. It is easy to follow the author’s arguments but she does go in-depth with statistics to prove her points. There is a version for teens too!  

 

 

 

The Fight to Vote by Michael Waldman (2016)

Waldman presents a comprehensive history of voting rights from the beginning of the construction of the American government. Some background reading on the topic may help readers follow the arguments better but, overall, the book is engaging and it's helpful to understand how we ended up with the system we have today. 

 

 

 

 

Against Elections: The Case for Democracy by David Van Reybrouck (2016)

Elections are essential to the democratic process in America, but this persuasive author brings the reader back to an ancient version of democracy in which leaders were appointed instead of elected—and argues that may be the solution for the future. A rare point of view, but interesting food for thought. 

 

 

 

 

Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America by Ari Berman (2015) 

This is a slightly older book but it received many accolades at the time of its publication. The history written about in this book starts with the Voting Rights Act of 1968 and brings us up to 2015 through archival research, interviews, and on-the-ground reporting. 

 

 

 

 

Additional Resources

• For NYC residents, the Library has put together a helpful guide: Election Day 2020: Get Informed & Vote
   
• For other cities and states, go to usa.gov/voting for information on eligibility, registration and your local elections.
   
• Did you know that you can read Congressional Hearing testimony at govinfo.gov?
   
• There are many impassioned speeches made during hearings on voter rights. One session stands out when searching in the catalog: Enforcement of the Voting Rights Act in the State of Texas: hearing before the Subcommittee the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties of the Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives, One Hundred Sixteenth Congress, first session, May 3, 2019


• Opposing Viewpoints is a database subscription that you can access from home with your library card. Along with many other relevant topics, you can find articles written that defend and debunk voter fraud. Every topic will include information from both or multiple sides of the argument. Simply use the search tool at the top of the database after you sign in.