With the midterm elections coming up, it’s more important than ever for teens to understand how voting works in the United States. Learning about how elections work, and how you can take a part, can prepare you for when you’re old enough to cast your first ballot. These resources will help you understand the discussions around politics today, and prepare for your first experience voting.
How U.S elections work
Elections can feel overwhelming and complicated, but these short and teen-friendly videos can make it easier to wrap your head around the electoral college and election basics.
Does your vote count? The electoral college explained, opens a new window: This is a short, non-partisan video from TED-ed that explains how the Electoral College works. It is a great resource for teens on the history and role of the electoral college in U.S. presidential elections.
Election basics: Crash Course Government and Politics #36, opens a new window: This 8 minute long PBS video provides an overview of how U.S. elections function. Including voting, the constitution and election rules.
Resources For Teens
Online Resources
These reliable and neutral websites can provide you with all the information you need on voting, candidates and political platforms.
NonprofitVOTE, opens a new window: The organization NonprofitVOTE aims to promote civic participation among American voters by providing information about election processes to the public without endorsing political parties. It is an officially non-partisan, non-profit organization. And a great collection of reliable election data for teens.
Open Secrets, opens a new window: Open Secrets is a research organization that tracks funding in American politics. It provides the general public with data on election campaign financing for all active political parties. This is a great tool for teens who want to be informed on how much funding political figures and parties receive.
Federal Election Commision, opens a new window: The FEC is an official U.S. government agency that administers and enforces federal campaign finance laws. This website helps provide teens with neutral and essential election information.
League of women voters, opens a new window: The League of women voters is a century-old organization that educates voters across America—especially younger voters—by offering election information, candidate comparisons and explanations of various ballot issues. They have over 7,000 leagues in all 50 states across the United States of America.
Factcheck.org, opens a new window: Factcheck.org is a non-partisan, fact-checking website that evaluates claims made by political candidates, parties and public figures against verified evidence online.
VoteSmart Facts For All, opens a new window: VoteSmart Facts For All is a website that provides objective information on candidates’ voting records, issue positions and public statements. It is all non-partisan and a great way for teens to find information on independents, democrats and republicans alike.
Guides.vote, opens a new window: Guides.vote offers voter guides in both English and Spanish that explain where candidates stand on issues and how to compare them, as well as what are the major issues on the ballot in each election.
American Library Association, opens a new window: The ALA provides a voter engagement guide on its website, as well as state voting and election tool kits. These guides are developed by librarians around the country and provide information for state-by-state voting, as well as registration forms, polling places, and deadlines.
Book Resources
For teens and students wanting to dive deeper, these books explain elections, voting rights and the Electoral College.
Why Do We Still Have the Electoral College?: Why Do We Still Have the Electoral College is an historical examination of the Electoral College that explains its origins and continued existence in U.S. elections. Alexander Keyssar outlines the complexity of the design and how partisan one-upmanship has a lot to do with the electoral college. By reading this, students can understand why the candidate with the most votes doesn’t always win and how the Electoral College affects campaign strategies and voter influence.
The Right to Vote: The Right to Vote includes timelines, primary sources, and quick explanations that make it easy to understand how the fight for voting rights connects to issues teens care about today. For Colorado teens the book is a great starting point for understanding how your rights came to be and why your voice matters in every election.
Arapahoe County Resources
For teens and students curious about voting in Colorado, these websites provide answers to questions about Colorado ballots and voter registration.
Arapahoevotes.gov, opens a new window: This is the official Arapahoe county website. Here, teens can find what is on the ballot in their county, whether it is information on federal, state and local Elections. Teens can also find answers to state and local ballot questions, find their local ballot drop off, or order sample ballots to get an understanding of what an official election ballot looks like.
Centennial Colorado, opens a new window: The Centennial Colorado website provides important voter information in Centennial. Including registration, qualification and deadlines. Through this website, teens can learn eligibility for requesting and submitting a Voter Registration Form.
Why Learning About Elections Matters
Even if you’re not old enough to vote yet, understanding how elections work gives you the tools to participate responsibly in elections when the time comes. Knowing about the Electoral College and the issues on the ballot helps you make sense of the news and have informed discussions. By learning early, you’re preparing to make your vote count in future elections. Every vote counts and the more you know about your role in elections, the more impact you can have today and in the elections to come.
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