Every two years, we head to the polls to elect local and national leaders. Voting seems pretty straightforward—choose your candidate and vote. The electoral process and history of it is complicated, and ideas about democracy, equality, voting rights, and other election topics are complex. Whether you’re talking about elections with younger students who are learning about the idea for the first time, or engaging high schoolers in debate and discussion about the issues, here are the best books about elections to bring into your classroom.
Plus, be sure to fill out the form on this page to get your free printable list of books about elections.
26 Best Books About Elections
1. Duck for President by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin
Duck for President is the story of how this familiar storybook character runs for president. This is one of the best books about elections to introduce young children to the concept of running for president in a fun way.
Buy it: Duck for President
2. V Is for Voting by Kate Farrell
This book offers an engaging introduction to the tenets of democracy. It’s a playful but powerful primer about the importance of voting and activism. After you read this book, have younger students share what they feel are important issues and traits in a leader. Then, hold their first mock election!
Buy it: V Is for Voting
3. If I Ran for President by Catherine Stier
Imagine if you ran for president! This book introduces students to the various aspects of elections—media, debates, etc. It’s a great one to kick off a writing assignment that asks students to imagine what they would stand for if they ran for president.
Buy it: If I Ran for President
4. Vote! by Eileen Christelow
Parties, voter registration, campaigns, rallies, debates, Election Day, even a recount are all clearly presented in a graphic format as the story of a local election unfolds, with hilarious commentary by the candidates’ pets.
Have your students hold a vote for something like your next class pet or next year’s classroom theme. Ask kids on each side of the debate to make signs and hold mock rallies talking about their stance.
Buy it: Vote!
5. We Can Vote by Ann Bonwill
Is voting fair? How do elections work? In We Can Vote, readers will investigate the process of voting—in their own lives and in their future—from researching choices to tallying results. This is one of the best books about elections for students who know the basics and want to get into the details of voting. Have students create a timeline of the voting process after reading.
Buy it: We Can Vote
6. What’s the Big Deal About Elections? by Ruby Shamir and Matt Faulkner
Did you know that Election Day is on Tuesday because that was the best day for farmers to vote? Or that George Washington was our only elected president who ran unopposed? Or that Native Americans were only given the right to vote in 1924? This book about elections is filled with great facts for your lessons!
The book is wonderful to use when answering student questions about elections and as a reference when studying the process.
7. The Night Before Election Day by Natasha Wing
This charming story captures the excitement of Election Day and encourages readers to ask the big question: Who will be our next president? Will our leader be a he or a she? A young citizen gives her take on politics in this sweet book told in the style of Clement C. Moore’s holiday poem.
Use this book to generate excitement about elections and ask students what they can do to make sure their families vote.
Buy it: The Night Before Election Day
8. Grace for President by Kelly DiPucchio
When Grace learns that the United States has never had a women president, she decides that she will be the first and starts by running in her class’s mock election. Use this book to talk about why people run for president, and hold a mock election of your own.
Buy it: Grace for President
9. Heart on Fire: Susan B. Anthony Votes for President by Ann Malaspina
This book tells the story of Susan B. Anthony’s illegal trip to the ballot box. It’s an introduction to the suffrage movement and the history of voting equality. This is one of the best books about elections and is a great introduction to voting rights through one famous suffragist.
10. Vote for Our Future! by Margaret McNamara and Micah Player
A story about voting told through Stanton Elementary School, which closes every two years on Election Day. This story is a great one to teach how voting impacts the future, and inspire students to get excited about their own school transforming into a polling station on Election Day.
Buy it: Vote for Our Future!
11. The Big Day by Terry Lee Caruthers
This is the fictional telling of the first Black woman to vote. It includes back matter about Agnes Sadler, the first Black woman to vote in Knoxville, Tennessee. This is a great story to read with students who are just learning about voting equality.
Buy it: The Big Day
12. Lillian’s Right to Vote by Jonah Winter and Shane W. Evans
As Lillian, a 100-year-old African American woman, makes a “long haul up a steep hill” to her polling place, she sees more than trees and sky—she sees her family’s history. She sees the passage of the 15th Amendment and her great-grandfather voting for the first time.
Read this book and ask your students to go home and ask their parents or grandparents about the first time they voted, record what they find out, and report back to the class.
Buy it: Lillian’s Right to Vote
13. Where Do Presidents Come From? by Michael Townsend
This tongue-in-cheek, comic book–style guide to presidential history contains fun facts and trivia. It’s the kind of addition to your classroom library that could have students crowded around it during silent reading time. A must-have!
Use this book to host an Jeopardy-style election game.
Buy it: Where Do Presidents Come From?
14. Understanding Elections by Torrey Maloof
This book gives students a clear understanding of government and politics while teaching the voting process and democracy concepts. It’s a great book to work through as a class, with activity ideas such as analyzing and evaluating primary sources, participating in a mock election and debates, and evaluating the electoral college included.
Buy it: Understanding Elections
15. She Was the First! The Trailblazing Life of Shirley Chisholm by Katheryn Russell-Brown
Shirley Chisholm, a woman of many firsts, was an unforgettable political trailblazer, a candidate of the people, and catalyst of change who opened the door for women in the political arena and for the first Black president of the United States.
Read this book to talk about people who pave the way in government and other areas.
16. The Kids’ Complete Guide to Elections by Nel Yomtov, Cari Meister, Emma Bernay, and Emma Berne
This book has answers to all the questions students might have about elections written in a fun way. Use this book as a resource for students, and to help explain the intricacies of elections.
17. Evicted! The Struggle for the Right to Vote by Alice Faye Duncan
This powerful book tells one Civil Rights Movement story about the Fayetteville Tent City Movement in Tennessee in the late 1950s. This book is ideal for students who have some background knowledge about American civil rights and voting, and are ready to learn more about how African Americans fought for the right to vote.
18. For Which We Stand: How Our Government Works and Why It Matters by Jeff Foster
Written by AP government teacher Jeff Foster, this book is a student-friendly guide to government. Use it as a reference, or have students complete research projects about the questions they have about how our government works.
Buy it: For Which We Stand
19. Equality’s Call: The Story of Voting Rights in America by Deborah Diesen
Read about the history of voting rights from the Founding Fathers to the present day. Use this book to introduce the topic or as an extension to talking about voting in general.
Buy it: Equality’s Call: The Story of Voting Rights in America
20. Act by Kayla Miller
When 6th grader Olive learns that a school policy is preventing some kids from participating in a field trip, she decides to act and runs against two closest friends in the student council election. This graphic novel has themes of friendship and finding out that one person can make a difference. It’s a great recommendation for students who love reading about friendship, with some election mixed in.
Buy it: Act
21. History Smashers: Women’s Right to Vote by Kate Messner
This book explores the lesser-known details about women’s suffrage with stories, fun facts, and other information. Use it to challenge students’ thinking about women’s suffrage and expand their knowledge of how women got the right to vote. Talk about the strategies that women used to get the right to vote and what made them successful.
Buy it:
22. The Election Book: The People Pick a President by Carolyn Jackson
This informative book has clear explanations of complex topics such as the electoral college and voters’ rights.
Use this book as a springboard to host a mock election between real candidates, or use stand-ins (e.g., Harry Potter vs. Percy Jackson).
23. Stacey Abrams and the Fight to Vote by Traci Todd
Stacey Abrams is a current politician, and this picture book biography explores her fight for voters’ rights in Georgia. It’s one of the best books about elections to show how previous voting rights activists continue to influence modern politicians.
24. Running by Natalia Sylvester
A novel about a Mari, a Cuban American, whose father is running for president. His campaign helps Mari see her father with fresh eyes. Use this book to talk about what we see about candidates and how they can shape their public personas.
Buy it: Running
25. The State of Us by Shaun David Hutchinson
In this novel, Dean and Dre, 17-year-old sons of two rival political candidates, fall in love on the sidelines of their political campaigns. This book is a great recommendation for students who are interested in politics and love a good drama.
Buy it: The State of Us
26. Drawing the Vote: A Graphic Novel History for Future Voters by Tommy Jenkins
This graphic novel shows the history of voting rights in the United States and how it impacts voting today. The format makes this book accessible to students who might not be interested in reading a novel or informational text.
Buy it: Drawing the Vote: A Graphic Novel History for Future Voters
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