Children's Defense Fund Action
Voting rights are children's rights
Children can't vote. Every law that shapes their lives is written by people who can.
Why this campaign
A child's future is decided in rooms they can't enter
Every year, decisions about classrooms, clinics, school meals and family income are made by people children had no say in choosing. That gap is the whole argument. Protecting the vote — and using it — is how adults stand in for the constituents who aren't allowed one.
This hub exists to make that concrete. Pick the group that describes you, take the materials, and do the one thing in front of you.
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Everything here is nonpartisan
No candidates, no parties. These materials are built so a congregation, a classroom or a nonprofit can use them without risking its status.
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Built for one volunteer
Each guide assumes you have a couple of hours and no budget, not a staffed field program.
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Reprint it freely
Photocopy, translate, put your congregation's name on it. That's what it's for.
Service is the rent we pay for living.
Choose your lane
Two audiences. Two sets of instructions.
A faith leader planning a service and a caregiver planning a Tuesday morning need entirely different things. Each page carries its own guides and its own way to sign up.
For everyone
Read Aloud for Democracy
One guide works for every audience: a read-aloud event that gives children their first taste of civic life. Host it in a sanctuary, a classroom, a library or a living room.
Request the manual
Get the 2026 Children's Sabbaths® manual
Clergy and faith leaders can request the planning manual for the 2026 National Observance of Children's Sabbaths® — worship resources, sermon starters, litanies and an organizing timeline for building a weekend observance around children and the ballot.
Clergy & faith leaders2026 National Observance of Children's Sabbaths®
- Worship and preaching resources across traditions
- A planning timeline you can hand to a committee
- Nonpartisan advocacy actions for your congregation
Sign-up is hosted on Microsoft Forms and opens in a new tab. The manual is sent to the email address you provide.