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United States presidential election

election · in 77 videos (2007–2026)

The recurring US presidential election, discussed across several election years including 2008, 2012 and 2016.

Videos by year: 2007: 11 · 2008: 16 · 2009: 1 · 2012: 9 · 2015: 3 · 2016: 15 · 2017: 3 · 2018: 2 · 2019: 3 · 2020: 7 · 2024: 6 · 2026: 1

Threads

Also named in the threads: John's wife Sarah as 'the Yeti' (2007) · Hank: list with John the ways the brothers differ (2007) · John misses the voter registration deadline after moving to Chicago (2000) · The Evil Baby Orphanage (2007) · Hank's Anagramming Guide to the presidential elections (2007) · The brothers' feud, to be judged by Nerdfighters (2007) · Tour de Nerdfighting 2008 edition · Obama's Idiots: the brothers' punishments for donations to Democratic candidates (2008) · Hank and Katherine have a baby, Orin (2016)

Often together

What comes up in the same parts of the videos; the number is how many parts.

Donald Trump (20) · Republican Party (11) · Barack Obama (12) · United States (28) · How to Vote in Every State (4) · Florida (6) · Tour de Nerdfighting (3) · COVID-19 pandemic (4) · Orin Green (4) · United States Congress (4)

What the videos say

The most important statements of each year; all statements.

2007

  • 2007-01-04 · Brotherhood 2.0: Eating Toilet Paper — John says he did not vote in 2000 even though he could have voted in Florida, and comically blames himself for George Bush. (playful) — 00:00:40
  • 2007-03-01 · Brotherhood 2.0: March 1, 2007: Sophistication. And balls. — ask: John asks Hank whether Brotherhood 2.0 should endorse a presidential candidate and, if so, whether in the primary. — 00:02:19
  • 2007-03-02 · Brotherhood 2.0: March 2nd: Politics and Butt Explosions — Hank, agreeing with a commenter, says it is too early to endorse a presidential candidate because the primary field may not be complete; he would wait and see. (hedged) — 00:00:35
    • Hank says the brothers cannot keep politics out of Brotherhood 2.0: both are politically active, and not talking about politics would be lying. (hedged) — 00:00:35
  • 2007-05-31 · Brotherhood 2.0: May 31: Yogurt eating — John asks who Hank will vote for in 2008 if not Obama; he concedes Obama has a problem with liquid coal but says others have more serious problems. — 00:00:41
  • 2007-06-01 · June 1: Barack Saabama — Hank says Brotherhood 2.0 may not be able to endorse a candidate in the 2008 elections because the brothers might not vote for the same person. (hedged) — 00:00:09
  • 2007-08-09 · August 9th: Anagramming Guide to the 2008 Elections — Hank announces he will choose whom to vote for by anagramming the candidates' names, with John's An Abundance of Katherines in mind. (joke, hedged) — 00:00:58
    • The local election near Chicago got Hank thinking about the coming national election; he is scared and doesn't know who to vote for, though the brothers are 'supposed to be Obama guys'. (playful, hedged) — 00:00:58
  • 2007-10-05 · October 5th: Feuding, Goonies and Politics — Hank recalls the brothers' Obama-Edwards argument: Brotherhood 2.0 hasn't endorsed a candidate because Obama 'has a problem with coal', which apparently doesn't bother John. — 00:00:45
  • 2007-10-08 · October 8th: Zombies v. Unicorns — John answers Hank's Friday video on feud topics, which included the 2008 presidential election: Hank is mostly for John Edwards, John mostly for Barack Obama. — 00:00:00
    • John believes politics, especially presidential politics this cycle, matter, but that smart, thoughtful people can honestly disagree, which is why there are Republican and Democratic nerdfighters. (hedged) — 00:00:39
  • 2007-10-09 · October 9th: The Feud Continues — Hank does not want the presidential election to be a game of chance like poker, judging who looks confident or bluffing; all he cares about is what is on the cards. — 00:00:48
  • …and 2 statements more in 2007 — all statements of 2007

Also named in: Week 1 Condensed!

2008

  • 2008-01-08 · Sledding and YouTube Tag — Hank says lacking health insurance is one more reason he is leaning strongly toward the left in the upcoming election. — 00:01:20
  • 2008-06-04 · VEEPSTAKES! — John notes it is Wednesday, June 4, the day after Barack Obama secured the Democratic nomination for president; the open question is his running mate. — 00:00:00
    • John introduces ten of the most likely running mates for Barack Obama in 2008, giving an upside and a downside for each. — 00:00:46
  • 2008-06-16 · Maine Inspires Deep Thoughts — announcement: Hank announces that he and John are starting a temporary project, Obama's Idiots, about the 2008 presidential race, at youtube.com/obamasidiots. — 00:00:00
  • 2008-09-04 · Paper Towns Tour Dates! — announcement: John: The November 4 stop is an Election Day Spectacular in Greenwood, Indiana. — 00:02:56
  • 2008-09-25 (said on 2008-09-24, implied) · Obama llama Duck — announcement: Hank says he and John, still following the presidential campaigns, are both taking part in YA for Obama, where authors for young people write why they are voting for Obama. — 00:02:41
  • 2008-10-09 · Let it Snow Let it Snow Let it Snow — announcement: Hank says he and John are on YouTube's front page with a video made with Politico in response to the latest presidential debate, and recommends it. — 00:03:17
  • 2008-10-16 (said on 2008-10-15, implied) · Paper Towns Collab Album Project!!! — Hank playfully says that despite the presidential election he can only think about Paper Towns, whose release is on the scale of buying his first house. (playful) — 00:01:56
  • 2008-10-28 (said on 2008-10-27, implied) · Early Voting with Hank — ask: Hank urges viewers of voting age who have not yet sent in an absentee ballot to just go vote. — 00:02:20
    • Hank argues early voting needs no excuse anymore and removes the risk that something on November 4th keeps you from the polling place. — 00:02:49
  • 2008-11-03 · Hank and John from the Road — announcement: John: They miss the Yeti but are coming home to her the next day for the Election Day Spectacular in Greenwood, Indiana. — 00:02:18
  • 2008-11-04 · Election Night In Indianapolis! — John, in Indianapolis after a Nerdfighter event, watches election returns and says it is too early to say anything. — 00:00:00
  • …and 4 statements more in 2008 — all statements of 2008

Also named in: People Who Love Giraffes Who Love Giraffes, Sarah Palin: An Introduction, John Green on the Debate, Hanks actual Vlog, On Loving One Another or Dying

2009

2012

  • 2012-05-08 · Tiny Chickens Invade, But Still I Vote — John doesn't want to vote while sick, but after failing to vote in Florida in the 2000 presidential election he promised himself and his country he would always vote. — 00:01:10
  • 2012-08-24 · Happy Birthday John Green! — ask: Hank asks viewers over 18 to vote for somebody, not caring whom they vote for. — 00:02:41
  • 2012-09-21 · You. Must. Vote. — Hank says that, from his perspective, the only wrong vote is no vote, and almost all the reasons people give him for not voting are terrible. — 00:00:05
  • 2012-10-23 · Understanding the National Debt and Budget Deficit — John says government debt and deficits are among the biggest issues in global politics, especially in the US because of the presidential campaign and the looming fiscal cliff. — 00:00:00
  • 2012-11-02 · Disney Buys Star Wars and DFTVA! — announcement: Hank says America is about to pick its president; for non-Americans he made a separate video, joking that Americans who watch it are bad people. (playful) — 00:01:12
    • Hank announces that the Harry Potter Alliance and the Vlogbrothers are teaming up on DFTVA, 'Don't Forget to Vote, America', for anyone who cares about the election. — 00:01:41
    • Hank asks viewers to spread the DFTVA graphic far and wide so everyone who can will vote, to do their civic duty, and to post it everywhere, especially on election Tuesday. — 00:01:41
  • 2012-11-05 · Spicy Summer Camp Story — announcement: Hank notes the US election is tomorrow, the brothers have talked about it in every video for the last four or so, and expects John to tomorrow, so today he tells a story instead. — 00:00:01
    • Giving the story's 'moral', Hank asks viewers to vote if they can, to photograph themselves at their polling place or with a ballot for a free DFTVA sticker, and to make sure everyone they know votes. — 00:03:34
  • 2012-11-06 · Terrible at Frenching: My Spicy Summer Camp Story — recommendation: John's three-part guide to voting: wake at 6:22 a.m. anxious, research your polling place and all the races (link in the doobly-doo), then go vote. (playful) — 00:00:41
    • Speaking as a former non-voter, John asks viewers to vote, promising they will never regret it. — 00:01:35
  • 2012-11-07 · The 51st State — Hank calls the election one for the history books: the first female amputee in Congress, first female Asian American senator, first openly gay senator, first second term for a black president, and first legalizations of recreational marijuana and gay marriage. — 00:00:00
  • …and 2 statements more in 2012 — all statements of 2012

Also named in: Policy and Politics: Brotherhood 2.0 Week Begins

2015

  • 2015-08-11 (said on 2015-08-10, implied) · 454 Days: Understanding America's Ridiculous Political Campaigns — John: On Tuesday, August 10th, 2015, John says the next US presidential election is just 454 days away. — 00:00:00
    • John illustrates the length: a baby conceived tonight will be born and be six months old before the US elects a president. (playful) — 00:00:06
    • John says the US is in the middle of a 22-month, multi-billion-dollar presidential campaign but hasn't had a long-term bill to fund highways in four years. — 00:02:33
    • So John is not paying attention to the so-called presidential campaign yet; he doesn't criticize those who do, noting much great organizing and activism around the candidates. — 00:02:41
    • John's pledge: he will begin caring about the US presidential election 100 days before Indiana's May 3rd primary; if Donald Trump is still a candidate on January 23rd, 2016, he will think about Trump for the first time. — 00:03:03
  • 2015-09-04 · Addicted to Outrage — Hank: Curbing his own outrage has made Hank sensitive to outrage peddlers on both sides, who already sicken him; with the 2016 presidential season starting far too early, he's building armor. — 00:01:59
  • 2015-10-23 · Benghazi: Explained — Hank says that, close to the 2012 election, Obama didn't want to talk about letting a terrorist attack happen and waited weeks before using the word 'terrorist'. (doubtful: weeks) — 00:03:58

2016

  • 2016-03-11 · The Politics of "Parks and Rec" — Hank says Americans find this ever harder, and it will get harder the deeper the country gets into this election season. — 00:03:01
  • 2016-05-17 · A Brief History of the Non-Denial Denial — ask: John says it is important to pay attention to the language of people who are or want to be our leaders, especially in an election season. (hedged) — 00:02:56
  • 2016-08-09 · Why I Didn't Vote (And Six Reasons You Might Not) — John says you're not just voting for president: down-ballot races for senators, congresspeople, state legislators and school boards are extremely important to your community. — 00:00:35
    • John says 57.5% of eligible American voters voted in the 2012 election, while 99% of millionaires did. — 00:02:07
  • 2016-08-12 · AMERICA, DAMMIT! - Thoughts from Glacier National Park — Hank says with no signal you check the news back at the hotel and learn Donald Trump has again said something disgusting and inexcusable that somehow hasn't disqualified him from the presidency. — 00:01:33
    • Hank says he really loves the country, though it is harder in election years, when Americans demonize each other so hard that everyone ends up looking like demons. — 00:02:13
  • 2016-10-14 · Compassion, Weakness, and the 2016 Election — Hank says he is voting for Hillary Clinton, not only because he thinks Trump treats the world as a game to win at any cost and would raise the (still low) odds of apocalypse, but because she has done much good and he relates to her. (hedged) — video description
  • 2016-10-25 · Will the U.S. Presidential Election Be Rigged? — John says the US presidential election will not be rigged, any more than the 2004 one was. — 00:05:58
    • John says one major-party candidate loudly claims the election will be rigged, with widespread fraud, people voting ten times and undocumented immigrants voting, and that these are all simply lies. — 00:06:03
  • 2016-11-08 · A PIZZAMAS MIRACLE — ask: John asks eligible American voters to look up their polling place in the doobly-doo, check youtube.com/howtovoteineverystate for what to bring, and go vote. — 00:02:27
  • 2016-11-11 · The Trouble with Wishful Thinking — Hannah Hart: Hannah says some people voted for Donald Trump to be president, and moreover 46% of people didn't vote at all. — 00:00:27
    • Hannah Hart: Hannah says it occurs to her that wishes are what got us here: wishing is what made 46% of the population not vote. (hedged) — 00:00:55
  • …and 25 statements more in 2016 — all statements of 2016

2017

2018

  • 2018-04-27 · Finding Respite in 2018 — Hank: The study found that bedtime cortisol rose after the election in young people who didn't vote for Donald Trump, more so in women and non-dominant groups such as LGBT people and people of color. — 00:00:54
  • 2018-10-26 · The Rigged Election — Hank: In 2000 Hank lived in Florida and voted in his very first presidential election. — 00:00:00
    • The 2000 contest between George W. Bush and Al Gore was decided by 537 votes in Florida. — 00:00:09
    • President Trump doesn't talk like that: before the 2016 election he repeatedly said Democratic Party plots would deprive him of victory. — 00:01:23
    • Even after winning, Trump said he lost the popular vote only because millions of undocumented immigrants voted; Hank calls it lies told because they sounded good. (doubtful: millions) — 00:01:31
    • Hank says Trump lied about undocumented immigrants voting, Pennsylvanians voting multiple times and Massachusetts voters bussed to New Hampshire, and said in the campaign the only way to lose was cheating. — 00:02:16

2019

2020

  • 2020-09-11 · If you don't go… — Hank says the video is mostly for US citizens: in the US people decide things together by voting, from president and lawmakers to laws, judges, sheriffs and ballot initiatives. — 00:00:00
    • Hank asks viewers to watch their state's video with pen and paper and write a voting plan: registration date, when to decide, and whether to vote by mail, early or at the polls on November 3. — 00:01:56
  • 2020-10-09 · The Rax Guy — John interrupts the video to go vote and returns having voted, with a sticker. — 00:01:50
  • 2020-10-23 · 10 Reasons to Vote RIGHT NOW — ask: Hank: Ten days before the US general election, Hank encourages everyone to vote right now, or, where they must wait, to make a plan now for when and how to vote on November 3rd. — 00:00:00
    • Reason nine: this big election will and should be read as a judgment on the last four years, internationally and in how we treat each other; we vote for a story, not just people. — 00:02:26
  • 2020-10-27 · The time I met Joe Biden — ask: The description asks viewers to make a plan to vote at vote.org and make sure their friends have a plan too. — video description
  • 2020-10-30 · Four Years Ago — Hank: Like Orin's head size, the laptop story had little data: the story was really our anxiety, and worry about the worry was legitimate, since it could lead people to faulty judgments lived with for years. — 00:01:56
    • Hank is very worried about the election, but says it will not end the pandemic, injustice and inequality, conspiracy theory, hyper-partisanship, or people's fear, anxiety and anger. — 00:03:05
  • 2020-11-03 · Alaska for Looking — ask: John: On election day John asks those eligible to vote in the United States to do so, and points to vote.org to find their polling place. — 00:00:00
  • 2020-11-06 (said on 2020-11-05, implied) · Just Some Election Thoughts… — Hank: A few weeks after his second book came out Hank started a new project, then stopped, feeling he could not write it until after the election because the world would differ so much depending on the result. — 00:00:00
    • Hank says he is not claiming the election doesn't matter: it matters tremendously in many ways for many people. — 00:00:29
    • Hank says the rift, crafted over decades and deeper than many of its crafters hoped, was never going to be filled in one election; his hope that it would was faulty. — 00:01:27
  • …and 5 statements more in 2020 — all statements of 2020

2024

  • 2024-01-05 · I'm Scared of 2024...So Here's 3 Optimistic Thoughts — Hank is certain Donald Trump will be on the ballot in November, which puts him way too close to being president again, something absolutely possible. — 00:01:03
  • 2024-10-25 · I Don't Want them to Get Away With It… — The description says no one in history could focus on only one problem, so whatever the extremely close election's outcome, we must keep fighting for a better world. — video description
  • 2024-11-01 · Working Through a Crisis with My Brother — Hank: With the election six days away, Hank says it is very hard to think about anything else, and also very hard to think about it. — 00:01:27
    • John says he wants people to vote; Hank says he has been doing his best on that front. — 00:01:52
    • John says Hank is not being silly: this is a very consequential presidential election. — 00:02:22
  • 2024-11-05 · Why Do I Still Make YouTube Videos? — ask: John: On US election day, John asks viewers to vote if they can; he already did. — 00:00:00
  • 2024-11-08 · These Maps are Lying (if you let them) — Hank says a lot of the maps we see around elections are kind of lying to us. — 00:00:00
    • In a channel comment Hank clarifies that Trump got way more votes than in 2020 and Harris way fewer than Biden: the swing was decisive and national. — creator comment
    • Hank shows a graph spread widely on Twitter to suggest Joe Biden got oddly many votes in 2020, as if many were fake. — 00:00:13
    • Hank says the election was long, stressful and a long fight; it is done now, and at least we know what we're facing. (hedged) — 00:05:49

Also named in: My Ballot Made Me Angry

2026

  • 2026-10-30 · The Last Normal Year — Hank recalls Pizzagate, and Donald Trump being elected president just days after Hank's son was born, which he found weird. — 00:01:30
    • Hank says early in 2016 mainstream outlets' top election content far outperformed misinformation, but in the election's last three months top fake stories on Facebook got more views, shares and comments than major outlets' top stories. — 00:02:28