The Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University, is inviting hundreds of women officeholders across the country to connect with young people in their communities through classroom read-alouds focused on expanding their understanding of leadership and democracy. Thanks to the generous support of The Honorable Constance H. Williams, CAWP has provided a children’s book to every woman serving in Congress, in state legislatures, and as statewide elected officials – including governors – for them to read to children at a local elementary school in their constituency and then donate the book to the school’s library. CAWP’s annual Teach a Girl to Lead® Reading Day project is designed to spark conversations about who leads and why it matters.
“For young people, seeing a woman in public leadership can be powerful in itself,” said Jean Sinzdak, associate director of CAWP and project director for Teach a Girl to Lead®. “When women officeholders read and connect with students, they help make politics and governing more visible and accessible. Teach a Girl to Lead® has already reached thousands upon thousands of students, and we’re proud to continue the long-running initiative by engaging Generation Alpha.”
For 2026, CAWP selected Vote for Our Future! by Margaret McNamara, illustrated by Micah Player, as the featured book for participating officeholders. The book introduces young readers to voting, elections, and civic participation through the story of elementary school students learning how their voices can help shape the future.
Margaret McNamara, author of Vote for Our Future!, welcomed the book’s inclusion in the initiative. “When I wrote this book, I wanted children to understand that democracy is for everyone. It’s inspiring to see it being used to bring real women leaders into the classroom to show kids that elected officials can look like the women they encounter every day,” said McNamara.
The classroom reading project is a signature part of Teach a Girl to Lead®, which offers a wide range of online resources for educators, parents, and community leaders. These resources include lesson plans, discussion guides, creative activities, and tools for examining leaders and leadership through a gender lens.
As the nation approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the campaign presents a timely opportunity to engage young people in conversations around democracy and help them recognize the leadership potential of all the people in their lives, the members of their communities, and themselves.
Vote for Our Future! shows children that they already have a stake in democracy, even before they are old enough to vote. Through a fun and engaging story, the book highlights the values of civic responsibility, perseverance, and community, and it plants the seeds of lifelong civic participation. The lesson? Even though a student might be too young to vote themselves, that doesn’t mean they can’t encourage their parents, friends, and family to vote! After all, voting is how this country sees change–and by voting today, we can inspire tomorrow’s voters to change the future.
Resources for your Reading Day
- Vote for Our Future! Discussion Guide
- Lesson Module on Voting and Civic Engagement
- Vote For Our Future! printable Coloring Sheet
How to plan your Reading Day
- Call an elementary school in your district and offer to read Vote for Our Future!.
- Use the discussion guide included with the book, and other materials (listed below) to prepare for your visit, and be sure to share a little about your own experience with the children.
- Share news of your visit by snapping some photos of your experience and encouraging others to participate!
- Sign the sticker and place it inside the front cover of the book before donating it to the school library so future readers will know it came from you!
Any day is a great day to read to students! This is an ongoing project and we hope that you will participate whenever is convenient for you!
Participated in a Reading Day?
Send us your photos along with a one-sentence quote about your experience so we can share with our audiences, post them to social media, tag us @womenandpolitics (Facebook and Instagram), and share them with the press