We the People... Read!

Published on May 05, 2026

I Voted stickers

By Emma 

As a child, I remember waiting in the car outside my small rural town’s American Legion while my parent cast a ballot in the 2008 presidential election. Even though I was in elementary school and didn’t fully grasp the significance of voting, I could feel an energy in the air. This was an important task that validated being late for dinner.  

There was a tantalizing secrecy around the act (as I wasn’t allowed to follow my parent inside) as well as an expressed finality that this is a civic responsibility that must be done. Aside from all of this weighty importance... I just really wanted the sticker. 

 

In the fall of 2018, I eagerly awaited the midterm elections for my first chance at voting. The experience of casting my ballot is one I had diligently prepared for—researching candidates and registering to vote. Since then I have made voting a priority as part of my civic engagement with the community I call home.  

This summer, an important election is coming to the Sioux Falls community on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. This election will serve two purposes: a municipal election (to determine the next mayor and city council seats) and a primary election (to determine candidates for the midterms this fall).  

All of the information you need can be found on the City of Sioux Falls Elections webpage. You can review candidates, check voter registration, and find your polling location. 

In the meantime, please enjoy this list of curated reading materials on all things voting, civic engagement, and political fiction.  

Books About Voting

The Fight to Vote by Michael WaldmanLet the People Pick the President by Jesse WegmanOne Person, One Vote by Nick SeabrookMr. President, How Long Must We Wait? by Tina CassidySuffrage by Ellen Carol DuboisUntil Justice Be Done by Kate MasurVanguard by Martha S. Jones

 

 

Political Fiction

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The President is Missing by Bill Clinton and James PattersonIt Can't Happen Here by Sinclair LewisThe Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley RobinsonAmericanah by Chimamanda Ngozi AdichieParable of the Sower by Octavia E. ButlerOlga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl GonzalezUtopia by Sir Thomas MoreA Gentleman in Moscow by Amor TowlesThe Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini