Ray W. Howard Library: Social Justice & Human Rights: Civic Engagement

Voting

Voting Resources

Ballotpedia
Self-identified as the "Encyclopedia of American Politics," Ballotpedia provides a wide variety of political information from the local level all the way up to the federal levels of government. It has over 230,000 entries, which are written and curated by a professional staff of writers, editors, and researchers who strive for neutrality and a nonpartisan perspective.
Can I Vote
Maintained by the national Association of Secretaries of State (the nation's oldest, nonpartisan professional association for public officials), Can I Vote allows you to register to vote, locate your polling place, identify what forms of ID will be necessary to vote, and learn about early voting and absentee voting options.
Open Secrets
Open Secrets is managed by The Center for Responsive Politics, and aims to become "the most comprehensive resource for federal campaign contributions, lobbying data, and analysis."
US Election Assistance Commission (EAC)
Established by the Help America Vote Act of 2002, the EAC is an independent, bipartisan commission which provides information such as election calendars, voter registration forms, surveys and studies about the U.S. Elections, and information about the National Voter Registration Act.

Looking for more?

Check out the Library Journal's Reference eReview, "Free Resources for an Informed Electorate" that was authored by Gary Price.

Free Resources for an Informed Electorate- Reference eReviews, Library Journal

Free Speech

What Does Free Speech Mean?
Created by the United States Courts, this resource discusses what is and isn't covered by the First Amendment and the freedom of speech.

How to Spot Fake News

Consider the Source: Click away from the story to investigate the site, its mission, and its contact info.

Read Beyond: Headlines can be purposefully outrageous in an effort to get more clicks. What's the whole story?

Check the Author: Do a quick search on the author. Are they credible? Are they real?

Supporting Sources: Click on those links. Determine if the information given actually supports the story.

Check the Date: Reposting old news stories doesn't mean they're relevant to current news.

Is it a Joke?: If it is too outlandish, it may be satire. Research the site and author to be sure.

Check Your Biases: Consider if your own beliefs could affect your judgment.

Ask the Experts: As a librarian, or consult a fact-checking site.

Information adapted from IFLA's "How to Spot Fake News" infographic

Identifying Fake News

A Finders Guide to Facts- NPR
Provides tips to help differentiate between reliable and unreliable news sources.
Center for News Literacy
Resources from Stony Brook University School of Journalism aimed at instructors for teaching students to use critical thinking skills to judge the reliability and credibility of news sources.

Related Learning Guides from Other Libraries in Higher Education

Evaluating News, Social Media & Other Online Sources- Highline Community College
Learning guide focusing on evaluating and identifying fake news. Includes definitions, tips, and tricks for evaluating information found on social media, news sources, and websites.
Fake News, Misinformation, and Propaganda- Harvard University
Includes background reports, news articles about fake news, suggested sites for journalists, and suggested fact-checking sites and plug-ins.
Evaluating Information: Fake News- University of Washington
Part of UW's Evaluating Resources Learning Guide, this page provides a definition of fake news, tips and tricks for identifying a fake news story, information on how fake news goes viral, links to interviews with the creators of fake news, and much more.
Informed Civic Engagement Resource Guide- UW Bothell
Put together by the University of Washing Libraries- Bothell branch, this learning guide provides information about free speech, civil discourse, fake news, and giving back to the community.

Social Media Activism

What's in a #Name?
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Article written in the popular (not peer-reviewed) source, New Republic, that looks at the way social media has made it both easier to organize activist movements and more difficult to hold them together.
Unpacking the Use of Social Media for Protest Behavior: The Roles of Information, Opinion Expression, and Activism (2013)
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This academic article by Sebastian Valenzuela was published in American Behavioral Scientist and is available through the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile's institutional repository. It focuses on the 2011 protests that occurred in Chile.
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Abstract

Recent studies have shown a positive link between frequency of social media use and political participation. However, there has been no clear elaboration of how using social media translates into increased political activity. The current study examines three explanations for this relationship in the context of citizens’ protest behavior:
information (social media as a source for news), opinion expression (using social media to express political opinions), and activism (joining causes and finding mobilizing information through social media). To test these relationships, the study uses survey data collected in Chile in 2011, amid massive demonstrations demanding wholesale
changes in education and energy policy. Findings suggest that using social media for opinion expression and activism mediates the relationship between overall social media use and protest behavior. These findings deepen our knowledge of the uses and effects of social media and provide new evidence on the role of digital platforms
as facilitators of direct political action.

Activism

Campus Activism
Created in 2002, Campus Activism focuses on providing a network of resources, contacts, events, ideas, and resources for students in Canada and the US to use to strengthen progressive social movements.
Citizen Works
This nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that was founded by Ralph Nader in 2001 to advance justice by strengthening citizen participation in power. The website includes a resources page that includes a progressive reading list suggestion, a variety of "tools to help you win" (including a student campus organizing handbook), and information about possible partners.
Social Justice Fund Northwest
"Social Justice Fund's Giving Projects engage members in a deep process of learning about race, class, fundraising and social change. Participating members organize their communities, raise money to support community organizing and through a democratic, participatory process, determine which organizations to fund."
King County Executive Equity and Social Justice
King County's site focusing on local Equity and Social Justice projects. "The Equity & Social Justice ordinance establishes definitions and identifies the specific approaches necessary to implement and achieve the "fair and just" principle that is embedded as a core element of the goals, objectives and strategies of the countywide strategic plan." Site includes information on tools & resources, as well as information about current King Country projects and annual forums/events.
Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training (GIFT)
GIFT is "a multiracial organization that promotes the connection between fundraising, social justice, and movement-building." The organization provides training, resources, and analysis to strengthen organizations- with a focus on social justice orgs that are based in communities of color.
National Institute for Civil Discourse (NICD)- The University of Arizona
NICD is a nonpartisan center for advocacy, research, and policy that seeks to "ensure that civility emerges once again as the glue that binds, repairs and strengthens our Democratic nation."
Citizenship and Social Justice
Created and maintained by educator and writer Jon Greenberg, this website is focused on social justice and includes resources such as "A Curriculum to Help White Americans Educate Themselves on Race and Racism — From Ferguson to Charleston" and the "Race Bechdel Test."

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Social Justice & Human Rights: Civic Engagement