Your Vote Matters

Encourage teens to recognize the importance of voting and making their voices heard in the democratic process with this timely book focused on Supreme Court decisions that came down to a single vote. Chapters examine key Supreme Court rulings and explore how these cases have affected the lives and rights of U.S. citizens—especially teens. Using a straightforward, impartial tone, the authors take a close look at often controversial cases and at the history of voting in the United States. The emphasis is involvement in local and national elections as well as other ways to be an engaged citizen. With an accompanying digital discussion guide, the book is a perfect choice for teachers and youth leaders to offer teens in the upcoming 2016 presidential election cycle.

In homage to the civil rights movement and out of restlessness with the reemergence of Jim Crow tactics to suppress the minority vote, J.W. Cherry III, is set on telling the truth about the state of our freedom and the protection of our rights. "Your Vote Matters: The Easy Way to use Your Power," uncovers that a complacent sense of our country's politics, will result in the impairment of the middle-class and the steady decline of the poor. Many people believe that since African descendants no longer work on plantations, slavery is completely over in the United States. However, policies in place enslave immigrants, driving them to desperate measures to protect their families while using their labor and resources but denying them a path to become a citizen. This is a guide for new voters. Cherry simplifies the election and voting process and provides the main points in history that tie into the pressing civil rights issues of today and ultimately, the legacy we all hope to leave for generations to come.

The U.S. was founded on the principles of government of the people, by the people, and for the people. At first it worked pretty well, but as we moved from farms to villages to cities, things began to break down. We no longer had extended families to rely on. We started depending on government bureaucracies to solve problems for us. We stopped taking responsibility for fixing these problems for ourselves. We will have to take part in government once again, teach our children, through example, to take part in government. It starts at home and goes all the way to Washington. Voting, phoning, writing letters and personal involvement are the most powerful things we can do in order to effect change in our country. Taking time to create a better community, or working in local or national government are some ways. And supporting local candidates. "My vote doesn't count or I'm too busy, or too tired to vote," holds no water. Every vote counts. The government welfare programs should be a trampoline not a hammock. People need to become more independent, instead of government taking care of them. We can no longer afford to be silent or not be involved. "Speak up now or forever hold your peace." This book goes into the history of our country, from the early 1900s when the socialist movement started and grew, through the Great Depression in the 30s, through the 2nd World War-as I lived through these last two events, and how it got to where it is today. I have chosen to write this book in a possible last attempt to get the Great Silent Majority-those 65 million persons who chose not to vote in some of the last elections-to realize how important this is. We are on the tipping edge right now, so that there may be only one last chance to rescue our ship of state and turn it around. The whole Western Hemisphere is faced with the same problems-the freedoms they have or their government completely controlling their lives as it has done in China, Russia and Venezuela. Thank God, it's not too late, but get informed and VOTE!!!

This engaging and comprehensive illustrated guide will answer all kids' questions about how the president is elected! There's never been a timelier moment for kids to learn the importance of voting. Your Vote Matters walks readers through all the ins and outs of voting in America -- and more specifically, voting in presidential elections. This easy-to-understand guide explains every step in the presidential election process -- from who is eligible to run for president to what the president does once they are sworn into office. Learn about campaigning and debates, the difference between caucuses and primaries, and how the Electoral College works, plus information about who is eligible to vote; the many different ways citizens can vote on (and leading up to) Election Day; what happens after the final ballots are cast; and tips on what to consider when deciding which candidate should get your vote. Each page of this nonfiction guidebook also features full-color artwork, including photographs, maps, illustrations, charts, and infographics aimed at making the information inside as accessible and kid-friendly as possible. Your Vote Matters is the perfect book to not only help kids understand how elections work -- but why it's important to participate in every single one.

In this concise, lively look at the past, present, and future of voting, a journalist examines the long and continuing fight for voting equality, why so few Americans today vote, and innovative ways to educate and motivate them; included are checklists of what to do before election day to prepare to vote and encourage others. Voting is a prized American right and a topic of debate from the earliest days of the country. Yet in the 2016 presidential election, about 40 percent of Americans—and half of the country’s young adults—didn’t vote. Why do so many Americans choose not to vote, and what can we do about it? The problem, Erin Geiger Smith contends, is a lack of understanding about our electoral system and a need to make voting more accessible. Thank You for Voting is her eye-opening look at the voting process, starting with the Framers’ perspective, through the Equal Protection amendment and the Voting Rights Act, to the present and simple actions individuals can take to increase civic participation in local, state, and national elections. Geiger Smith expands our knowledge about our democracy—including women’s long fight to win the vote, attempts to suppress newly enfranchised voters' impact, state prohibitions against felons voting, charges of voter fraud and voter suppression, and other vital issues. In a conversational tone, she explains topics that can confuse even the most informed voters: polling, news literacy, gerrymandering and the Electoral College. She also explores how age, race, and socioeconomic factors influence turnout. Ultimately, Thank You for Voting offers hope. Geiger Smith challenges corporations to promote voting, and offers examples of how companies like Patagonia and Walmart have taken up the task in a non-partisan way. And she reveals how get-out-the-vote movements—such as television star Yara Shahidi’s voting organization, Michelle Obama’s When We All Vote campaign, and on-the-ground young activists—innovatively use technology and grassroots techniques to energize first-time voters.

Encourage teens to recognize the importance of voting and making their voices heard in the democratic process with this timely book focused on Supreme Court decisions that came down to a single vote. Chapters examine key Supreme Court rulings and explore how these cases have affected the lives and rights of US citizens-especially teens. Using a straightforward, impartial tone, the authors take a close look at often controversial cases and at the history of voting in the United States. The emphasis is involvement in local and national elections as well as other ways to be an engaged citizen. Download the free Leader's Guide to help readers get the most out of Every Vote Matters.

How do citizens make their voices heard? There is perhaps no greater example of democracy in action than voting. Historically, marginalized groups were excluded from the equal citizenship represented by suffrage. Readers will study the importance of voting, the history of the vote being denied to minority groups, how those groups struggled to attain that right, and what voting means to American citizens today. The comprehensive subject matter supplements the elementary social studies curriculum. Primary sources and full-color photographs make the information pop.