Election Guide 2022
Election Day is on November 8, 2022 – Are you prepared to make an informed vote?
Parkland Community Library has compiled a resource guide to help you make the most of your vote.
Ballotpedia is the digital encyclopedia of American politics, and the nation’s premier resource for unbiased information on elections, politics, and policy.
We provide our readers with curated content on all levels of U.S. politics that is relevant, reliable, and available for all. We are firmly committed to neutrality in all our content.
As a nonprofit, our mission is to educate. We’re here for you when:
- You need the latest political news and analysis from a reliable, nonpartisan source.
- You’re making decisions about how you’ll vote in an election.
Ballotpedia is changing the way people connect with politics and policy. Our content includes neutral, accurate, and verifiable information on government officials and the offices they hold, political issues and public policy, elections, and candidates. Ballotpedia currently has more than 360,000 encyclopedic articles and offers daily, weekly, and monthly email newsletters on a variety of specialized topics.
Ben’s Guide to the U.S. Government
Ben’s Guide to the U.S. Government, a service of the Government Publishing Office (GPO), is designed to inform students, parents, and educators about the Federal Government, which issues the publications and information products disseminated by the GPO’s Federal Depository Library Program.
Factcheck.org is a nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. They monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases. Our goal is to apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship and to increase public knowledge and understanding.
FactCheck.org is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. The APPC was established by publisher and philanthropist Walter Annenberg to create a community of scholars within the University of Pennsylvania that would address public policy issues at the local, state, and federal levels.
Federal Voting Assistance Program
The Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) works to ensure Service members, their eligible family members, and overseas citizens are aware of their right to vote and have the tools and resources to successfully do so – from anywhere in the world.
The Director of FVAP administers the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) on behalf of the Secretary of Defense. UOCAVA, as amended by the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act, requires states to transmit requested absentee ballots to UOCAVA voters no later than 45 days before a federal election. Those citizens protected by UOCAVA include:
- Members of the Uniformed Services (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps)
- Members of the Merchant Marines
- Eligible family members of the above
- U.S. citizens residing outside the U.S.
FVAP assists voters through partnerships with the Military Services, Department of State, Department of Justice, election officials from 50 states, U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia.
Language Access Resources – U.S. Election Assistance Commission
The Voting Rights Act (VRA) requires that certain state and political subdivisions provide language assistance during elections for certain language minority groups who are unable to speak or understand English adequately enough to participate in the electoral process. As of 2021, Federal law requires over 330 jurisdictions to provide some type of language assistance. Browse a variety of federal, state, and local jurisdiction resources related to language access for voters.
League of Women Voters of Lehigh County
The League of Women Voters of Lehigh County is part of a nationwide, grassroots organization of people who believe that through informed action people can make profound changes in their communities. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for voting rights.
Lehigh County Department of Voter Registration
The Office of Voter Registration is responsible for the conduction of Federal, state, county, and local elections. They coordinate the setup of 158 county polling locations, as well as staff and train approximately 1000 precinct election officials. The Office of Voter Registration consistently maintains and updates all information pertaining to over 240,000 voters. Above all, they strive to maintain a high quality of customer service and to preserve the integrity of this office and Lehigh County.
The Office of Voter Registration serves voters of Lehigh County by:
- Preparing and furnishing all materials used at elections
- Receiving petitions for placement of candidates on the primary ballot
- Registering new voters
- Maintaining voter registration files, including name, address, and political party changes
- Processing mail-in absentee ballots
- Training election officials
- Maintaining ES&S Voting Systems & Tenex Electronic Poll Books
- Preparing and delivering all voting machines in 158 districts
- Receiving the returns of all primaries and elections from each precinct, canvassing and certifying the results
- Responding to daily questions and requests over the counter and via telephone
- Handling the expense reports for all candidates
With multiple ways to cast your vote, you want to ensure your vote is counted. Find out everything you need to know about the Lehigh County Voting System. View step-by-step instructions for casting a hand-marked paper ballot, how to cast your vote electronically, what devices and features are available to make voting more accessible, and more.
Pennsylvania Department of State Voter Education Toolkit
The Department of State is working to promote public confidence in elections and educate voters about the elections in 2022. The Ready to Vote initiative aims to inform voters about key information, including
- How the passage of election reforms in PA will impact elections this year and beyond.
- What voters can expect when they use the more secure voting systems in place in every Pennsylvania county.
Pennsylvania Voting Rights – PA Election Protection Coalition
The nonpartisan voter protection Election Protection Coalition works to ensure that every eligible voter in Pennsylvania is able to cast a ballot that gets counted. The PA Election Protection Coalition is coordinated by the ACLU of Pennsylvania, Common Cause Pennsylvania, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania, and Pennsylvania Voice.
Voters can call the following nonpartisan voter hotlines for basic information, such as the location of their polling place or how to obtain an absentee ballot, as well as report problems on Election Day:
- 866-OUR-VOTE hotline (866-687-8683) for English
- 888-VE-Y-VOTA (888-839-8682) for Spanish
- 888-API-VOTE (888-274-8683) for a variety of Asian languages (The APIA vote hotline lists them here http://www.apiavote.org/hotline: English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Urdu, Hindi, and Bengali)
The Election Protection Coalition is prepared to assist voters with:
- Questions about polling locations, dropbox locations, and registration status
- Instructions on absentee or mail-in voting
- Improper challenges at the polls
- Voter intimidation
- Polling places that are not open or that have very long lines
- Poll workers who improperly ask for photo identification from voters
- Voters who are denied the opportunity to vote or not permitted to vote with a provisional ballot
In 1990, music executives founded Rock the Vote in response to the censorship of hip-hop and rap artists. Their first partnership, with MTV, promoted the message that “Censorship is Un-American” and activated millions of young people across the country to exercise their rights and represent their interests. For thirty years, Rock the Vote has continuously adapted to the changing landscapes of media, technology, and culture to break through and empower each new generation.
Launched by the League of Women Voters Education Fund in October 2006, VOTE411.org is a “one-stop-shop” for election-related information. It provides nonpartisan information to the public with both general and state-specific information on the following aspects of the election process:
- Absentee ballot information
- Ballot measure information (where applicable)
- Early voting options (where applicable)
- Election dates
- Factual data on candidates in various federal, state, and local races
- General information on such topics as how to watch debates with a critical eye
- ID requirements
- Polling place locations
- Registration deadlines
- Voter qualifications
- Voter registration forms
- Voting machines
An important component of VOTE411.org is the polling place locator, which enables users to type in their address and retrieve the poll location for the voting precinct in which that address is located. The League has found that this is among the most sought-after information in the immediate days leading up to, and on, Election Day.
VoteRiders is a non-partisan, non-profit organization with a mission to ensure that all citizens are able to exercise their freedom to vote. VoteRiders informs and helps citizens to secure their voter ID as well as inspires and supports organizations, local volunteers, and communities to sustain voter ID education and assistance efforts.
Kathleen Unger founded VoteRiders in 2012 as a direct response to the increasing number of stringent voter ID laws across the country.
Today, our team works alongside more than 760 partner organizations and 5,800 volunteers (including an army of pro bono lawyers) across the country.
When We All Vote is a leading national, nonpartisan initiative on a mission to change the culture around voting and to increase participation in each and every election by helping to close the race and age gap.
Created by Michelle Obama, When We All Vote brings together individuals, institutions, brands, and organizations to register new voters across the country and advance civic education for the entire family and voters of every age to build an informed and engaged electorate for today and generations to come. We empower our supporters and volunteers to take action by voting, advocating for their rights, and holding their elected officials accountable.
When We All Vote is supported by Vote Lab, the innovation and research arm of the initiative.
Parkland Community Library is not affiliated with any political candidate or party.
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