We love libraries! And we encourage you to do your part for libraries by voting! Libraries are a nonpartisan issue – we are here to benefit everyone; so be sure you tell your candidates and elected officials how much you value libraries in your community!!
Your voice matters. Your opinions matter. Libraries don’t live on just love – we need money and institutional support. So, we don’t care who you vote for – everyone should be supporting libraries, and with your encouragement that can happen!
So it was pretty cool to find this article in the latest American Libraries journal! The tagline: “Voters turn to libraries as nation faces a pandemic, wildfires, and uncertainty with postal service.”
Check out this excerpt below. And you can read the entire article right here.
“Many states have increased the opportunities for voters to cast their ballots by mail this year as an alternative to gathering at a polling place during a pandemic. But in an environment where some politicians are trying to raise doubts about the security of voting by mail and the ability of the United States Postal Service to deliver mail-in ballots, many libraries are using their unimpeachable reputations to offer stability as ballot drop-off sites.
“I think people miss the environment of the polling place, and going to a drop box helps them re-create that,” says Oregon Library Association Vice President Arlene Weible. Oregon has conducted all elections by mail since 2000, but Weible says libraries hosting ballot drop boxes is a common practice in the state.
The benefits of hosting drop boxes go beyond mere nostalgia. Drop boxes can offer a safe and secure way to vote as the nation continues to face COVID-19, wildfires, and policy changes affecting the stability of the postal system.
Arthur Lakes Library at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden has had a ballot box in front of the library for two years. “Students have been very enthusiastic about the opportunity, and it’s been well received,” says University Librarian Carol Smith. “They take their voting rights seriously, but the convenience is an issue for them since they’re so busy and focused on their studies.”
Dunedin (Fla.) Public Library provided ballot drop-off for the first time during this year’s primary elections in August. Director Phyllis Gorshe says a line of people waited to drop off their ballots the first day the drop box was in place. “We received lots of calls in appreciation, so I’m expecting the next election to be a busy time,” she adds.”
Check out the rest of this article here!