How to Host a Children’s Book Character Election at the Library
Don’t let parents have all the fun on Election Day; let kids vote for their favorite children’s book characters! The target audience for this passive activity is ages 3-8, but tweens, teens, and adults enjoy casting ballots, too.
Promotional Description
“Which book character has YOUR best interests at heart? Stop by the youth department on November 5 to cast a ballot in our storybook character presidential election! For all ages.”
How It Works
Select your book characters and create ballots using the method of your choice (Word, Publisher, Google Docs, etc.). Set your ballots out with pencils near a ballot box. That’s it! Tally up the results and share them via social media or make a display showcasing the winner.
You can keep this activity out for one day, a week, or however long you’d like as a fun activity for families to enjoy at their leisure. Providing the kids with “I Voted” stickers makes the experience even more memorable.
Ballot Box
Grab a box, cut a slot in the top, and decorate it however you’d like. This could be a fun task for a teen volunteer, too. Here is a fancy example from the blog J.Sorelle, and another one from The Yellow Roses. OR use a bucket! I’ve used these Dollar Tree buckets for various activities over the years, including collection boxes for ballots, event surveys, and mouthed baby toys.
More Resources for Children’s Elections & Voting Ideas
Please Touch Museum Mascot Election – The Philadelphia Please Touch Museum offers an adorable election example – kids voted on what activity they wanted to see the PTM Mascot perform. Their website includes cute photos and a special election-themed Mad Libs printable from Penguin Young Readers.
West Florida Public Libraries Kids Votes Count – Adorable examples of kids voting booths.
Fridley Preschool Mock Election – Excellent example, including how to use your puppet theatre as a privacy screen!
Book Display
Don’t forget to showcase the excellent voting-themed gems from your collection, such as:
