If you’re tired of thinking about the midterm elections, we have a great alternative for you: Vote for something fun at KPL!

How does it work?

Come to either the Southwest or Northside library branches between now and the end of November 3rd, 2026, to help choose the new scavenger hunt theme. Patrons are welcome to cast 1 ballot per location per day.  (While it’s one person, one vote in government elections, the public library works a little differently!)  

What’s on the ballot?

Northside Library

Patrons at the Northside Library have a choice between two of the great dynamic duos of children’s literature: Are you voting for Dog Man and Cat Kid or Elephant and Piggie?

They’ll also have amendments on their ballot, just like we have on the Wisconsin midterm ballot this year!  Voting patrons will get to vote for the craft they’d like to do in November.

Wondering what potential voters are saying about this election?  We did a little polling and found out:

Southwest Library

At Southwest, your candidates come from a single book: Are you Team Rock, Team Paper, or Team Scissors?  

Just like in real life, going to a different location means you’ll vote for different things. While you won’t have an amendment on this ballot, there’s also an election-themed scavenger hunt and a display of some of our favorite books on voting!

You can also get a bead on how local voters feel about this election:

Why are we doing this?

At KPL, we believe wholeheartedly in the idea that play is the work of childhood. Whether children are hollering at the top of their lungs during a game of tag, working quietly to build a block tower, or dressing up like a princess, they’re building skills they’ll use their entire life. And if you’ve ever spent much time with a kid, you’ll know that one of their favorite games is often Whatever A Grownup Is Doing.

So, when grownups are getting ready to participate in an important part of American life, we see an opportunity for kids to learn something new!  They’re playing pretend with very real concepts here, including...

Civic responsibility

Voting is one of the most important ways adults can participate in society!  When children get to vote for something, they're preparing for a future in which they express their views regularly, helping to shape the society they live in.  They'll see an immediate change to their library surroundings, which reinforces the ways that a democratic vote can change the world.

Early math

Counting up a vote involves thinking about percentages, majorities and minorities, and even pluralities (when a candidate gets the most votes, but not over 50%).  We'll visualize our eventual winners using graphs, so kids can use their eyes to connect "this choice got more votes" with "this choice won."  Even if you don't sit down and define every math concept that voting touches, just hearing the words is helpful for kids: they're building the kind of context that will help when they encounter this math in school.

Good sportsmanship

One of the hard parts of voting is that sometimes, your side loses. Learning to weather minor disappointments now helps kids build tolerance for bigger disappointments in the future. 

This vote is also an opportunity to practice winning gracefully, especially between siblings and friends who might have voted for different options.  Children can celebrate their successes while learning how to be kind to those who disagreed.

How can we continue the fun at home?

All ages: 

• Stop by the library to pick up some books on these subjects, or check out our lists of voting picture books and school election stories
• Think about what you could vote on at home - could you establish Taco Tuesdays, or choose between a trip to the park or the museum?
• If possible, bring kids with you to vote. It isn't always interesting, especially if the line is long, but you can practice handling boredom (an important skill!) and model good citizenship.
• Enjoy some old-school tunes by watching "I'm Just a Bill" or "Three Ring Government" from Schoolhouse Rock!

Younger children: 

• Read yard signs you see on a walk.  Can you identify what colors they are?  Do you recognize any shapes on them?
• In our country, we follow laws - rules that exist to help keep everyone safe.  What rules would kids make if they were in charge?  Draw a picture of what that would look like!
• We live in a town, in a county, in a state, in a country, in the world!  Look at maps and find the boundaries of where you live.  Can you find Kenosha in Kenosha County?  What about Kenosha County in Wisconsin?
• When someone's elected, it's to be a leader for a town, county, state, or country. What do you think makes a good leader?  Have a conversation about important leadership qualities at an age-appropriate level - should a good leader share?  Be kind to others?  Make people feel welcome?
• When we vote, we express our love and care for the place we live!  Sometimes we also do that by   Add state and national pride songs like "On Wisconsin," "If You Want to Be a Badger," "The Star-Spangled Banner," or "America the Beautiful" to your music rotation and celebrate the place you're from.

Older children:

• Where will you be voting this year?  Use MyVote Wisconsin to find out where your polling place is.  
• Look up your local ballot and pick a race to investigate.  How many people are running for office?  Are they part of a political party? What do the different candidates believe?
• If you see a campaign ad on TV, consider pausing and talking about it.  What is that candidate running for?  Are they talking about the things they'll do if they're elected, or are they talking about their opponent?  What do you think of their message?  Who paid for the ad?
• Watch some of a debate for a race in the election, such as governor - you'll be able to find recordings on YouTube.  What questions are the candidates answering?  Does it sound like they answered the question, or did they talk about something else?
• Investigate amendments - they help us refine our Constitution and ensure it works the way the people want.  What state amendments are up for a vote this year?  What are the arguments for and against them?
• If a child asks you about your political positions, you don't have to tell them exactly who you're voting for - your vote is secret, after all!  But if you choose not to, consider telling them information such as: how you decide who to vote for, what qualities you value in a candidate, or how you feel about different political issues. Use these questions as an opportunity to have a conversation about what your family values and how you express it.