Remind Me: Why Do YOU Vote?

Filmmaker Holly Mosher talks about two campaigns to inspire the youth vote.

Holly Mosher, award-winning filmmaker and executive director of Why Do You Vote? talks to Sam Daley-Harris, author of Reclaiming Our Democracy and founder of RESULTS and Civic Courage.

Sam: It is so great to reconnect after so many years.  We met when you screened your trailer for Bonsai People - The Vision of Muhammad Yunus at one of our RESULTS conferences and joined our citizen lobbying day.

Holly: Yes, participating in Lobbying Day was a great pleasure. Around that time I was also producing “Pay 2 Play: Democracy’s High Stakes” about how big money and self-interest can corrupt our democracy.   And it was always mind-boggling, the juxtaposition of how money can be used for good or bad. It got me to think about these issues, the selfish side and the selfless side that motivate people in our democracy.

Sam: Tell us about Why Do You Vote? and “The Spark The Vote Social Media & Film Challenge.”

Holly: Last September at the American Democracy Summit in Los Angeles I got deeply inspired when people from “Headcount” and “Rock The Vote” spoke about the importance of getting out the youth vote. Their call to action got me thinking about using a compilation of short films on social media platforms to reach young people where they spend a lot of their time - online.

My producing partner, Carolina Vianna Leite, and I came up with Why Do You Vote? Our logo has a heart in the middle of the YOU because this campaign is about voting from your heart about issues most Americans care deeply about. The seven issues we chose are non-partisan - or bridging issues -  ones that most Americans actually agree on: Climate, Women’s Bodily Autonomy, Marriage Equality, Sensible Gun Laws, Healthcare, Voting, and Democracy. 

Sam: Walk us through how “Why Do You Vote?” works.  What do people do and are there tools that help them do it?

Holly: Participating at the most basic level is as easy as 1 - 2 - 3. You can see a sample reel with each of our issues here: http://www.whydoyou.vote

First. you write your script, starting with “I vote because” ___________.  Then you fill in the blank speaking from your heart about one of our issues: Climate, Women’s Bodily Autonomy, Marriage Equality, Sensible Gun Laws, Healthcare, Voting (honest and fair elections open to all Americans) and Democracy (getting big money out)  You close with the question: “Why do YOU vote?

Once your script is done, you film yourself. Finally, post your video to your social media platforms.  We also have a set of stickers to share on socials with each of our issues. And we have a participation toolkit here: https://www.whydoyou.vote/participation-toolkit

Sam:  You want people to share their answer to “Why do you vote?” on social media, but there’s more.  Tell us about the “Spark the Vote Social Media & Film Challenge.” 

Holly:  A member of our team, San Tong, came up with the idea of hosting a challenge to encourage group submissions. I get most excited thinking about the amazing shorts people will make in just one weekend as part of The Spark The Vote Social Media & Film Challenge. To have the most impact, we’ve scheduled it for September 14-15th, the weekend before National Voter Registration Day. 

At events across the country, people will come together to make films, break into teams and screen their films.  We already have sponsors providing thousands of dollars in award money, and we hope to raise funds for a cash award in each category. 

People can offer their talents in so many ways: Students and Educators can use the Challenge as a lesson on civic engagement.  Creatives can sign up to participate in the Spark The Vote Social Media & Film Challenge.  And when we say creatives, we don’t just mean professionals! So many people have amazing talents that they can share

Networkers can share news with others and send the link to our coffee chats http://www.whydoyou.vote/events and the link to The Challenge https://www.whydoyou.vote/spark-the-vote-challenge in order to bring in more participants.  Conveners can organize and host The Challenge in their communities.  Audiences can watch and share posts online to build engagement through Election Day!  And Sponsors can donate to the campaign or give award money for best videos on a specific topic.

You don’t have to be young to submit a video or social media savvy to host a great event! After all, on a film set, there are people with diverse backgrounds fulfilling various roles. 

Sam: I was impressed by one of the videos, the one about voting for the climate.  I loved that it’s a family effort.

Holly:  We want to encourage multi-generational videos since our first experience with voting or activism is often WITH our parents.  I remember going with my mom to my school on voting day and playing around behind the curtain as she pulled the levers of the machine.  My seed of activism started when I went door-to-door with my mom for a local issue she cared deeply about.  That campaign succeeded, and I learned that using your voice can make a difference.  

Sam: This event puts the creative decision making in more hands. 

Holly: Every voice is needed to uphold our democracy! I think it’s this kind of positive energy that we so deeply need, especially this year.

And there is something special about using film to open people’s hearts and minds.  It’s exciting to harness that energy to inspire people to vote.  So my message is: please join The Challenge in whatever way suits you and your talents! This will be a great national event, bringing people together and building community. We also hope teams will stay in touch and continue their efforts to get out the vote.

About the authors:

Holly Mosher is an award-winning filmmaker.  Beyond voting and democracy, she has worked on films about healthcare, women’s empowerment and the environment,  Her directorial debut was the award-winning Hummingbird, an inspiring documentary about two non-profits in Brazil that work with street children and women who suffer domestic violence.  In 2011, Holly directed, Bonsai People - The Vision of Muhammad Yunus, which aired on public television.  Holly is passionate about creating advocacy campaigns to accompany her films, increasing their relevance and impact. 

Sam Daley-Harris grew up in Miami, Florida and played percussion in the Miami Philharmonic Orchestra for 12 years before becoming a leader and innovator in the field of citizen advocacy.  Sam founded the anti-poverty lobby RESULTS in 1980, organized the World Summit for Children Candlelight Vigils in 1990 and founded the Microcredit Summit Campaign along with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus and FINCA founder John Hatch in 1995.  In 2012, Sam founded Civic Courage to help NGOs train their members to create champions in Congress and the media for their causes. 

The 30th anniversary edition of Daley-Harris’ Reclaiming Our Democracy: Every Citizen’s Guide to Transformational Advocacy was released this year.

---