voting

voting

A little dose of presidential trivia

A little dose of presidential trivia

, , , Library Resources
Election season is the best season, even more than pumpkin spice latte season, football season or spider season   Imagine raking leaves, drinking hot apple cider, munching on donuts and getting ready to participate in democracy – it’s one of the great American fall traditions.  Here are a handful of fun facts to take to the polls. Who was the only president to serve two nonconsecutive terms? In 1888, the unpopular Democratic president Grover Cleveland lost to his Republican challenger Benjamin Harrison (incidentally, Harrison was also the last president to wear a beard.)  The election proved contentious, with Harrison losing the popular vote but winning the electoral college. While Harrison was a decent speechmaker and had a firm grip on policy … Continued
Voting Ahead

Voting Ahead

Library Resources, Matt Dilworth
Election Day is November 5th in the United States, and Americans have the opportunity to decide who serves in their government, at the federal, state, and local level.  In preparing to exercise this power – and responsibility – there are many useful tools that registered voters can avail themselves of to inform their vote. An all-purpose voting website is available from the state government of Indiana, letting residents check their voting status if they don’t know it, register to vote (October 7th is the deadline), and find their polling place.  Information about election security measures is presented, and results can be checked (after the election).  Online, the website Vote 411 lets users view their ballots ahead of time, and see … Continued
Celebrating 237 years of the U.S. Constitution

Celebrating 237 years of the U.S. Constitution

, Library Resources, outreach
On September 17, 1787, thirty-nine delegates of the Constitutional Convention, our founding fathers, signed and enacted the United States Constitution. This document establishes the “checks and balances” system among the three branches of government: Judicial, Executive, and Legislative. We have celebrated this milestone with Constitution Day on September 17th each year, marking 237 years in 2024. The celebration began in 1940 as “I Am an American Day,” following a resolution by Congress and President Franklin D. Roosevelt and was observed on the third Sunday in May. In 1952, it was renamed “Constitution Day” and moved to September 17th to honor the original signing date. In 2004, Congress renamed it again to “Constitution and Citizenship Day” to also recognize new U.S. … Continued
A guide to political (mis)information

A guide to political (mis)information

, , Uncategorized
During any election season, voters are bombarded with messages regarding candidates, policies and the potential outcomes of a particular candidate’s victory.  Yet much of that messaging is distributed as lower-quality information, sometimes fact-free in its entirety.  Voting is an incredibly important duty for American citizens, and that means it’s doubly important to know how to find good quality information.  This is a guide to help locate facts and navigate the current political information environment. Memes are horrible sources of information Goofy cat pictures.  Images of celebrities saying or writing things they might not in a real-world situation.  Dogs in glasses.  These things seem harmless, but they’re not.  Why are memes so bad?  As defined by Richard Dawkins, memes are units … Continued
Election Preparation

Election Preparation

, Library Resources, Matt Dilworth
Election Day is November 8th in the United States, when a free people have the power to decide who serves in their government, at the federal, state, and local levels.  There are several useful tools that registered voters can use to prepare for their civic opportunity – some would say civic duty – to vote.  The Indiana State government offers a voting website that has tools to help citizens check their voting status if they don’t know it, register to vote (for later elections), and find their polling place.  Because this is the first election after the redistricting mandated by the results of the 2020 census, prospective voters should take care that they know where their polling location is (Indiana … Continued