Unite Against Book Bans draws its strength from a coalition of 250+ partner organizations—representing parents, educators, librarians, booksellers, publishers, authors, faith groups, and others—that share a common goal: defending the freedom to read. Our Partner Resource Spotlight series highlights content from these stakeholders and experts, drawn from Unite’s partner resource library. We hope this collection of guides, reports, data, and more will support your advocacy in the ongoing fight to read freely.
Election Year 2026: Local Elections Matter
2026 is a pivotal election year, with intense focus expected on federal races, voter registration, and GOTV efforts. While national campaigns ramp up, it’s more important than ever to stay engaged at the local level.
Local library and school board elections have a profound impact on our communities, yet they typically attract only a small fraction of eligible voters. Whether you can attend public meetings, run for office, or simply cast a ballot for freedom to read candidates, the Unite Resource Library offers tools to support you.
HRC Foundation’s ‘School Boards Matter: A Guide to Effectively Advocating at the School Board Level’
Co-developed with the School Board Integrity Project, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s comprehensive guidebook provides step‑by‑step instructions for working with local school boards to promote inclusive policies for LGBTQ+ students—and all students. Although it isn’t framed explicitly around anti‑censorship, its focus on LGBTQ+ advocacy is tightly linked to the fight to read freely, since book bans so often target stories about marginalized identities and experiences.
School Boards Matter is a practical guide to:
- Board Basics: How to find information about who serves on your board, meeting schedules, where agendas and minutes are posted, election dates, and members’ stances on equity, diversity, inclusion, and the freedom to read.
- Building Alliances: Strategies for identifying and organizing allies to maximize the impact of your advocacy.
- Communicating Concerns: Tips for reaching the board via scheduled meetings, email, letters, or public comment periods.
- Preparing Testimony: Guidance on crafting effective public comments or written testimony for board consideration.
Some Good News: Data Show Bans Remain Unpopular
Per Authors Against Book Bans, 2025 school board elections in communities that had experienced “censorship attacks” in 2023 were won by pro-book candidates by a 3:1 margin. These results underscore the power of speaking out against book bans, becoming informed about board members’ positions, and voting in every election to protect local collections and curricula.
For more, check out the Guide for Attending Library and School Board Meetings, adapted from our partners at PFLAG.
About the HRC Foundation
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation seeks to fundamentally change the way LGBTQ+ people are treated in our everyday lives. LGBTQ+ people are in every community, every profession and every culture — and yet often face enormous obstacles simply because of who we are. The HRC Foundation works to build capacity and change policies, practices, hearts and minds in a range of institutions that shape our daily lives. To learn more, visit https://www.thehrcfoundation.org/.
For additional resources, check out the HRC Foundation’s companion guide, Confronting Censorship in Our Schools: Protecting Inclusive Education and Resisting Censorship at the School Board Level, which includes worksheets to help guide your anti-censorship advocacy.
