Votes of Confidence: A Young Person’s Guide to American Elections

This timely handbook offers a thorough, accessible overview of American elections and voting in six chapters that explore the history and workings of the government, the voting process, political parties, becoming informed about relevant political issues, how elections works, and political engagement. Fleischer avoids hot-button topics, instead looking at the traditional definitions of the Republican and Democratic parties and the practical side of how elections unfold, including discussions of the electoral college, the contested 2000 election, presidential debates, and the role of public opinion polls (“When evaluating poll data, it’s always important to look at how the question was worded”). Fleischer’s well-contextualized, nonpartisan approach results in a valuable resource for readers looking to understand and become involved in a complicated system while avoiding spin. Ages 14–up. (May)