Perhaps this shouldn't come as a huge surprise in a country in which election laws are made locally and voting procedures are anything but uniform. This means that in some places voters can register and vote on the same day. In others, people must register by a deadline in order to vote. Some people vote by machine, and others cast paper ballots that are stuffed into a locked ballot box. Voters in tiny communities will cast their votes amongst their friends and neighbors, while voters in large urban precincts may be unknown to the poll workers. That the people who must surmount these obstacles persist in doing so, understanding that they do indeed have a stake in the outcome, speaks volumes about our collective faith in the process. For every citizen who refuses to vote because "nothing ever changes", there are countless others who will spend an entire day and then some pursuing the opportunity to exercise their rights and make their voices heard. I challenge anyone to watch this film and entertain second thoughts about voting this November.
Election Day has screened at festivals and elsewhere to much critical acclaim. It will have its national broadcast premiere on July 1 as part of PBS's P.O.V. series. The show will air at 10pm Eastern, but check your local listings.
Katy Chevigny talked about Election Day with BC Radio Live last Wednesday, June 25. You can stream or download the archived show. The film can be purchase from Arts Engine, a non-profit organization dedicated to producing and distributing socially relevant independent media.
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1 - Josh Lasser
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