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10 Reasons to Vote RIGHT NOW

2020-10-23 · list · Hank, Boston voter in Hank's clip · 3:43 · watch on YouTube

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

Ten days before the 2020 US general election, Hank gives ten reasons to vote right now or make a plan: voting is usually quick, it equalizes power, it affects others, local races and margins matter, one vote not deciding is how democracy works, and the result tells a story about the last four years.

What is said

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

00:00:00 — Ten days out: vote right now or make a plan; reason 1, it tends to be quick and easy

00:00:29 — Reasons 1-7: short waits, equal votes with the rich, effects on others, local races, margins, callers stop calling, democracy is collective

  • ★★ Reason one: voting tends to be quick and easy; long lines are a problem in places, but 94% of Americans are in and out in under 30 minutes, which should be 100%. — 00:00:29 · United States
  • ★★ Hank says reporting on long waits matters so they get fixed, but hearing about them discourages people from voting even where waits are short. — 00:00:29
  • ★★ Reason two: every other day you are less powerful than Bill Gates, but your vote counts the same as the richest Americans' and more than corporations'; Jeff Bezos is voting. — 00:00:44
  • ★★ Reason three: your vote affects people beyond you, neighbours and people worldwide; the US is very powerful and citizens have a responsibility to engage with that power. — 00:00:58 · United States
  • ★★ Reason four: beyond the presidential race, many local elections matter, from congresspeople to mayors, city councilors and school boards; you may leave races blank if you don't feel educated on them. — 00:01:13
  • ★★ Hank says Montana, where he lives, has a Democratic governor and a Democratic senator. — 00:01:27 · Montana
  • ★★ Hank says that would not have happened if everyone who thought Trump would win anyway had skipped the polls. — 00:01:27 · Montana, Donald Trump
  • ★★ Reason five: margins matter; politicians know they can get away with more extreme beliefs and actions after a landslide win than after a narrow one. — 00:01:27
  • ★ Reason six: get-out-the-vote callers receive a daily list of who has already voted, so voting stops the calls. (playful) — 00:01:27
  • ★★★ Reason seven: that one vote rarely decides an election should only discourage would-be autocrats; we are doing this together, and that is what democracy is. — 00:01:56
  • ★★ Boston voter in Hank's clip: Reason eight, a clip: a Boston woman voting at Fenway, Dunkies in hand, says she is ready to vote for Joe Biden though she wishes it were Bernie Sanders, because it is a team sport. (playful) — 00:02:11

00:02:26 — Reason 8, a Boston voter's 'team sport' clip; reason 9, the election as a judgment and a story

  • ★★★ 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

    “We don’t just vote for people. We vote for a story.”

00:02:55 — Reason 10, procrastination; make a plan, send the ballot, How to Vote in Every State; sign-off

  • ★★ Hank says the story of a narrow win is very different from the story of a landslide, which matters for the country and the world. — 00:02:55
  • ★★ Reason ten: if you don't vote now you might not vote at all; as general procrastination advice, don't wait for the perfect time, this is it. — 00:02:55
  • ★★ If the ballot sits on the kitchen table or the way to the polls on November 3rd is unclear, Hank says to make that plan and send that ballot now. — 00:03:11
  • ★★ Hank points viewers unsure how voting works in their state to youtube.com/howtovoteineverystate: look up your state and watch the under-two-minute video now. — 00:03:25 · How to Vote in Every State, YouTube

In the description and comments

  • ★★ The description points to Vote.org to check registration and polling place, and thanks everyone coming together to make this happen. — video description

Threads in this video

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

Central: early voting · United States presidential election

Also: People: Bernie Sanders · Bill Gates · Boston voter in Hank's clip · Donald Trump · Jeff Bezos · Joe Biden

Projects: How to Vote in Every State

Organizations: Democratic Party

Concepts: democracy · local government · paradox of voting · Postal voting · procrastination

Places: Boston · Montana · United States

Only in the description or credits: Vote.org

Also centred on early voting: Early Voting with Hank

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