First posted October 13th, 2020
For several years, Lincolnwood Public Library’s Junior Justice League, our community activism program for young people in 3rd-8th grade, has participated in Get Out the Vote projects to inspire our community to vote, which included posting signs and/or sending out postcards for the 2018 midterm elections, village, school and library elections, and the 2020 spring primaries.
“Drive with kitty cuteness to the polls” -K. (March 2020 Primary)
This year, we hosted a special National Voter Registration Day session on September 22 on Zoom to Get Out the Vote together. We were joined by Niles Township Supervisor Bonnie Kahn Ognisanti, Assistant to the Supervisor, Jen Steiner, & local community group Lincolnwood Together founder Caren Ex, who shared the importance of civic engagement and participation in our democracy. We created a short version of this program below that you can watch at your convenience.
You can pick up a Get Out the Vote Postcard Kit at the library to participate in this activity on your own time, while supplies last. Our all-ages Get Out the Vote Postcard Kit (with art made by Kate) can offer a fun, engaging opportunity for families and friends to come together to talk about civic engagement and democracy, whether in person or virtually. (You could even host your own postcard writing activity on Zoom!) You can also use your own postcards. All you need are some basic art supplies.
Get Out the Vote Postcards Directions
Using your own style, decorate the postcard and write a personal message to inspire others to vote, such as “Raise your Voice,” “Every Vote Matters,” or “Make a Plan to Vote.”
Address the postcard on the right side of the postcard. You can attach a stamp or if you bring the postcard to the Youth Librarians, we can mail the postcard for you. Make sure to mail your postcards.
Treat yourself to a Voting sticker for a job well done.
Make a plan with your family to vote this fall.
You can access our Get Out the Vote Postcard templates and directions here.
Voting Resources
Lincolnwood Library provides lots of resources about voting to help you find the information you need about registering, researching candidates, finding your polling place, and more. You can pick up a sample ballot at the library, as well as a special mailer with informative resources to help you do your research.
You can check our Voting page at https://lincolnwoodlibrary.org/vote.
You can access our Get Out the Vote Postcard templates and directions here.
Check out our Voting display in the library & borrow some fantastic books to learn more about raising your voice for all ages.
I was invited by RAILS to submit a “My Library Is…” post about our efforts in civic engagement to encourage our community to vote. You can read it here. There’s always local, state, and national elections happening throughout the years - and we always need to come together as information professionals to curate reliable and timely resources to empower our community. So I hope these posts can be perennially useful.