Skip to main content
Know before you go! See what services are available today.
 logo
 logo
Forgot your card number?
Forgot your PIN?
  • Reset your password

Get A Library Card

Main navigation

  • Events
  • Lists
  • Research & Learn
  • Services

Main Navigation Secondary

  • Locations
  • Ask Us

Footer Menu

  • About
  • Work With Us
  • Blog
Library Policies  © 2021 Richland Library, Richland County, South Carolina

Social Media Menu

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Give
BLOG

Your Right to Vote

  • Morgan R.
  • Wednesday, March 18, 2020
Share:
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn

Get informed and be prepared to vote in the 2020 election. Your guide to useful voting-related resources.

Exercise one of your most basic rights as an American, VOTE!

  • Start here with the South Carolina Voter Registration site to check on your registration status, voting location, update information, and other useful tools. 

  • SCVotes.org also has a great list of Frequently Asked Questions to answer things like, "How do I apply for an absentee ballot?", and, "What are the official results?". 

Getting the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth when it comes to making decisions about who to vote for is absolutely crucial to making an informed decision that you feel confident about. 

Check out FactCheck.org whose mission statement reads that they are "a nonpartisan, nonprofit 'consumer advocate' for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics.". 

Politifact is another resource to fact check all of the information that gets thrown at us each and every day regarding politics. This not-for-profit organization says, "fact-checking journalism is the heart of PolitiFact. Our core principles are independence, transparency, fairness, thorough reporting and clear writing. The reason we publish is to give citizens the information they need to govern themselves in a democracy."

Richland Library is also proud to offer NewsGuard on all public computers in our 13 library locations. NewsGuard "provides reliability ratings and detailed 'Nutrition Labels' for thousands of news and information websites."

JFK Quote

If you find you need reminders about where and when to vote, sign up for TurboVote.com's text messages that will alert you the day before an election. This nonpartisan organization is focused on increasing voter turnout nationwide. 

If you are newly voting age, check out the Student Voters Guide from BestColleges.com. It is chock full of crucial information for first time voters.

If you need to vote by absentee ballot, click here or here for more information. 

"Any person who is convicted of a felony or an offense against the election laws is not qualified to register or to vote, UNLESS the disqualification has been removed by service of the sentence, or unless sooner pardoned.  Service of sentence includes completion of any prison/jail time, probation and parole." See more information about felon voting rights here.

"The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." - Fifteenth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States: Section 1

Ballot Ready is an interactive site that allows you to easily view all candidates, with links to their websites, and build a sample ballot. It is broken down by federal, state, county and local elections. 

The Federal Goverment has a page dedicated to voting and teaches voters how to make informed decisions, answers questions about how and when to vote, and has a super handy glossary with definitions of commonly used voting and election terms. It also shows a succinct visual of the presidential election process, explains the electoral college, primaries and caucuses, and national conventions. 

"The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation." - Nineteenth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States

For those serving in the military, check out the Overseas Vote Foundation for more information on making your vote count while serving our country.

Ballotpedia.org has a user-friendly sample ballot lookup tool. All you have to do is enter your address and it will show you who will be on the next ballot and provides links to the candidate's campaign site. 

Here are a few books about American politics to get you in the voting spirit. See you at the polls!

Author

Morgan R.

Readers' Advisory Specialist

Tags
Civic Engagement
Politics
Audience
Adults
Parents
Seniors

Related Blog Posts

Image
Cover of Stamped Remix by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X Kendi
Blog
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and Teens
Image
Black & White photo of a young Black girl with braids.  Her eyes are closed and her face is uplifted in a slight smile.
Blog
#BrainBreaks: Self-Portraits
Image
Book Cover Lollipop Dancing with her Pets
Blog
#OWNVoices: Hip-Hop Lollipop

Footer Menu

  • About
  • Work With Us
  • Blog
Library Policies  © 2021 Richland Library, Richland County, South Carolina

Social Media Menu

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Give