These are only some of the stories we encounter during this fascinating look at politics played out at its most local — and therefore most personal — level. Chevigny chose to shoot this film in a cinema verite style, which means that the camera tells us the whole story. There is no narrator, no celebrity voice intoning a message, no Michael Moore-caliber personality to interpret events or insinuate themselves into the proceedings. By allowing us to witness events as they unfold and come to our own conclusions, by allowing these citizens to speak in their own voices, Chevigny acknowledges our ability to figure things out for ourselves. The closest we get to a point of view perhaps comes from Shanta Guate, an Australian observer who is reporting on the election for an organization called Fair Election International. While her job is to observe and not insinuate herself into the proceedings, the expressions on her face as she documents polling place chaos speak volumes.
If you are a white voter from a middle-class or affluent voting precinct, you will likely have your eyes opened by Election Day. My own voting experiences over the decades have been simple and straightforward. I have never not known where to go to cast my vote. I have never had my identity or my eligibility challenged. The poll workers I have encountered have been unfailingly competent and polite. Most importantly, I have never had any doubt that the ballot I cast would be counted. Clearly the American voting experience is not the same for everyone, and if Election Day paints an accurate picture, then it is difficult to escape the conclusion that it is the poor and those who belong to racial or ethnic minorities who are most often asked to vote in the face of seemingly huge obstacles.
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1 - Josh Lasser
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