Resources
“If you have a plan, we want to hear it. Tell your community leaders, your local officials, your governor, and your team in Washington. Believe me, your ideas count. An individual can make a difference.”
-George Herbert Walker Bush
It's important to be informed citizens. To read, viiew videos, listen, talk, understand, research and always ask questions.
Review our list of videos, books and orgnizations that can help provide needed perspective.
ORGANIZATIONS & online sites
VOTER INFORMATION
Meet Your 2021 Mayoral Candidates - Find the candidates who say they’ll build the future NYC you want by (article by The City.com).
Can You Vote in New York City’s June 22, 2021 Primary Election? - What you need to know to ensure you can cast your ranked-choice ballot for everything from your local City Council contest to the citywide race for mayor.
NYS Political Calendar - A ready reference to the significant dates pertaining to elections, coordinated by the NYS Board of Elections.
Ballotpedia - The encyclopedia of American Politics. Find info on national and local primaries, elections and political resources.
Contacting Elelected Officials - Learn how to get in touch with your federal, state, and local elected leaders.
NYC Poll Site Locator - Information on where to register or vote and links to forms, district maps and election results.
NYC Votes - extensive resource information about where and how to vote, voting rights and voter registration forms.
NYS Board of Elections - A bipartisan agency vested with the responsibility for administration and enforcement of all laws relating to elections in New York State. The Board is also responsible for regulating disclosure and limitations of a Fair Campaign Code intended to govern campaign practices.
NYS Voter Guide - A nonpartisan print, video, and online platform that provides a variety of information about NYC elections.
NYS Voter Look-Up - A search feature to check if you're a current registered voter and to find your district information.
NYS Voter Registration Deadlines - A list of dates for registration and primaries for federal, local, state and general elections.
We Vote - a digital voter guide informed by issues you care about and people you trust. Through our nonpartisan, open source platform, we'll help you become a better voter, up and down the ballot.
ONLINE SITES
The Flip Side - Concise summaries of political analysis from both conservative and liberal media.
Open Secrets - The nation's premier research group tracking money in U.S. politics and its effect on elections and public policy and providing the data and analysis to strengthen democracy.
ORGANIZATIONS | GOV AGENCIES
Better Angels - Bipartisan citizen’s movement to unify our divided nation.
CENSUS 2020 - The Census Bureau's mission is to serve as the nation's leading provider of quality data about its people and economy.
CENSUS JOBS - The 2020 Census Nationwide Recruitment Campaign is underway. Many jobs are available in the Queens, NY area.
CERRU - Center for Ethnic, Racial & Religious Understanding is a diversity education center that provides nonviolent communication tools to bridge social differences and create a more equitable society.
League of Women Voters - Encourages informed and active participation in government.
GOLES - Good Old Lower East Side, a grassroots organization in Manhattan since 1977, serves, engages, and empowers low- and moderate-income residents of the LES/Loisaida, specifically people of color, through community organizing, public education, direct services, and community-based participation.
National Archives - The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the nation's record keeper. Only 1%-3% are so important for legal or historical reasons that they are kept forever.
NY Public Library - an essential provider of free books, information, ideas, and education for all New Yorkers for more than 100 years.
NY State Gov - the official website of NY State providing extensive information on NYS elected officials, news, services, government agencies and resources.
One Queens Indivisible - A member of Indivisible’s National Campaigns Network (NCN), a coalition of local groups that are determined to use our collective national power.
TAFT Institute for Government - Nonpartisan org to expand and improve political participation in the United States.
Queens Library - An independent, not-for-profit corporation; not affiliated with any other library system.
IMMIGRATION ASSISTANCE
Cara Family Detention Pro Bono Project - The volunteers of CARA are committed to ending the incarceration of immigrant children and parents.
Informed Immigrant - Understanding your rights and resources available to immigrants.
Make the Road - an organization that builds the power of immigrant and working class communities to achieve dignity and justice.
Queens Library - Offers several resources for new Americans and prospective citizens. Learn your rights, the realities of the immigration process, and receive support from experienced lawyers and staff.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services - Find help in your community: classes and assistance with the naturalization process.
DATA AND GENERAL INFORMATION
USA Facts - USAFacts is a new data-driven portrait of the American population, our government’s finances, and government’s impact on society.
Dark Money Watch - A project of MapLight, this is a hub for information about dark money in U.S. elections to help the public understand how hidden donors can influence our political system.
MapLight - A nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that reveals the influence of money in politics, informs and empowers voters, and advances reforms that promote a more responsive democracy.
Queens Borough President - information and resources related to Queens citizens provided by the office of Melinda Katz, current QB president.
Queens BP Events - a comprehensive calendar of civics, political, community and entertainment events throughout Queens.
Queens BP Senior Citizens Resource Guide - a directory with contact info of government agencies and organizations providing services and programs which allow senior citizens to remain active members of their communities.
BOOKS
ARTICLES
THE CURSE OF BIGNESS
by Tim Wu
The Columbia professor calls for recovering the lost tenets of the trustbusting age as part of a broader revival of American progressive ideas as we confront the fallout of persistent and extreme economic inequality.
THESE TRUTHS, A HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES
By Jill Lepore
Award-winning historian and New Yorker writer Jill Lepore offers a magisterial account of the origins and rise of a divided nation, an urgently needed reckoning with the beauty and tragedy of American history.
ON TYRANNY: TWENTY LESSONS FROM THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
By Timothy Snyder
The Founding Fathers tried to protect us from the threat they knew, the tyranny that overcame ancient democracy. Today, our political order faces new threats, not unlike the totalitarianism of the twentieth century.
DARING DEMOCRACY
"Does Your Community Board Reflect You and Your Neighbors? Find Out" With demographics changing it's important to have board members that represent the makeup of each community.
"Respect First, Then Gun Control" by David Brooks
"Localism in America - Why We Should Tackle Our Big Challenges at the Local Level" - by mulitiple authors; edited by Joel Kotkin and Ryan Streeter
"Why People Come to the U.S." - The number of people coming to the US, where they come from, and why they come has changed significantly over time.
DIRECTORIES
SENIOR CITIZEN RESOURCE GUIDE - Compiled by Queens Borough President
A comprehensive directory of government agencies and organizations providing services and programs which allow senior citizens to remain active members of their communities.
VIDEOS
The Big Picture: How We Got Into This Mess, And How We Get Out of It by Robert Reich
A 6-part PBS series that aims to uncover the reality behind today's toughest issues. SEE CLIPS ON VIMEO
Why Democracy is Declining Worldwide
The founder of BallotPedia explains the current state of the site and how it helps voters.
TED Talks - Frances Moore Lappe, co-author of the book DARING DEMOCRACY
An animated video that explains some of MapLight's work (revealing money's influence on politics) in just a few minutes!
CLICK BELOW FOR OTHER HELPFUL RESOURCES