If you don't go…

2020-09-11 · letter vlog · Hank · 3:50 · watch on YouTube

Topic: US politics & society · mode: Advocacy & fundraising · tags: timely hook, civic or action cta, self promotion, community lore

Hank urges US viewers to vote in every race on the ballot, since elected leaders respond to voters, and to check their registration at vote.org and make a written voting plan with Complexly's How to Vote in Every State videos, made with MediaWise.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — Video for US citizens: we decide many things together, and ballots hold far more than the president

• ★★ 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 · United States, United States presidential election
• ★★ Hank says people, himself included, tend to focus on the president, but every ballot holds many other items with huge impact. — 00:00:00 · United States presidential election

00:00:29 — You don't have to vote on everything, but you have to vote: leaders listen to voters; check registration at vote.org

• ★★ Hank says a huge amount of how America is governed happens at the state and local levels. — 00:00:29 · United States
• ★★ Hank worries people who haven't researched by November 3 will skip voting; he says you don't have to vote on everything on a ballot, since it is not a test. — 00:00:29
• ★★★ Hank says you have to vote, because if you don't go, your voice doesn't get heard and your opinions matter less. — 00:00:29
• ★★★ Hank says elected leaders listen to voters more than to the average American because voters hire and fire them, so turn yourself into a voter: that is how you get served. — 00:00:58 · United States
• ★★★ Hank asks viewers first to make sure they are registered by checking at vote.org, which he says takes 15 seconds. — 00:00:58

00:01:27 — How to Vote in Every State, the written voting plan, where you register, state-by-state rules and sample ballots

• ★★ Hank says US elections are administered state by state, so every state has different rules. — 00:01:27
• ★★★ Hank says Complexly, with MediaWise, has created How to Vote in Every State: videos for every state and for situations like military overseas or territories, covering absentee voting, sample ballots and registration. — 00:01:27 · Complexly, How to Vote in Every State
• ★★ Hank says every How to Vote in Every State video is under three minutes and gives everything needed to create a voting plan. — 00:01:27 · How to Vote in Every State
• ★★★ 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 · How to Vote in Every State
• ★★ Hank recalls that as a first-time voter in college he wondered whether to register at college or at his parents' house; he chose his parents' house. — 00:01:56
• ★★ Hank says your registered address determines every election you vote in: registered in St. Petersburg, he would not vote for the mayor of Orlando. — 00:02:26
• ★★ Hank says mail-in and absentee voting vary by state (open to all in some, with requirements elsewhere), as do early voting times and how sample ballots are given out. — 00:02:26
• ★★ Hank recommends sample ballots: they show exactly what will be on your ballot, and you can fill one out at home and bring it to the polls. — 00:02:55
• ★★ Hank says voting is an opportunity that people in many places don't get, a responsibility, and maybe a little stressful. — 00:02:55

00:03:24 — Other MediaWise videos, share your state's video, sign-off

• ★★ Hank says the makers also produced videos on doing your research, understanding polls and watching political ads, and he is proud to be part of it. — 00:03:24 · How to Vote in Every State
• ★★ Hank asks viewers to watch their state's video and send it to everyone they know, so they see how easy and important voting is. — 00:03:24 · How to Vote in Every State

In the description and comments

• ★ John: In a pinned comment John jokes that Hank makes good videos but can't pin comments, and links vote.org's registration check and How to Vote in Every State. (playful) — creator comment · How to Vote in Every State

Threads in this video

• restate · Does one vote matter? — Hank says elected leaders listen to voters more than to the average American because voters hire and fire them, so turn yourself into a voter: that is how you get served. (00:00:58)
• milestone · How to Vote in Every State: launch of the 54-video guide to registering and voting in each US state (2016) — Hank says Complexly, with MediaWise, has created How to Vote in Every State: videos for every state and for situations like military overseas or territories, covering absentee voting, sample ballots and registration. (00:01:27)
• reminder · Hank asks viewers to use their state's How to Vote in Every State video to register, get a sample ballot and vote (2016) — 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)
• reminder · Hank asks viewers to send How to Vote in Every State videos to people who might not vote because it is too complicated (2016) — Hank asks viewers to watch their state's video and send it to everyone they know, so they see how easy and important voting is. (00:03:24)
• variation · Vlogbrothers videos titled with Smash Mouth's All Star lyrics (2020) — The title continues the All Star lyric titles with the next line of the song, echoed in Hank's closing line about not wanting to know what happens if you don't go.
• callback · Vlogbrothers videos titled with Smash Mouth's All Star lyrics (2020) — In a comment John plays innocent about the All Star titles, but says if he and Hank had a stupid project they could not escape, they would keep a shared Google doc full of highlighting and exasperated comments.
• asked · Hank asks viewers to vote right now in the 2020 US election or make a plan to vote by November 3 (2020) — 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)

Where the stories that moved here went next

• Hank asks viewers to vote right now in the 2020 US election or make a plan to vote by November 3 (2020) — reported back; last: thanks, 2020-11-06 (said on 2020-11-05, implied)
• How to Vote in Every State: launch of the 54-video guide to registering and voting in each US state (2016) — last documented in 2022; last: milestone, 2022-08-19

Mentioned

Central: How to Vote in Every State · United States · voter turnout

Also: Organizations: Vote.org

Concepts: absentee ballot · early voting · Federalism · Postal voting · sample ballot · voter registration

Places: Orlando, Florida · St. Petersburg, Florida

Events: United States presidential election

Only in the description or credits: All Star · Complexly · MediaWise

Also centred on voter turnout: You. Must. Vote. · Terrible at Frenching: My Spicy Summer Camp Story · Ten Terrible Reason to not Vote (and two good ones) · Our Massive Project: How to Vote in Every State · The Trouble with Wishful Thinking

← Previous: That's the way. · Next → All That Glitters Is Gold