Daley-Harris is the author of “Reclaiming Our Democracy: Every Citizen’s Guide to Transformational Advocacy” and the founder of RESULTS and Civic Courage. This is part of a series focused on better understanding transformational advocacy: citizens awakening to their power.
I recently spoke with Holly Mosher, an award-winning filmmaker and executive director of Why Do You Vote?, a social media campaign that encourages voter engagement on issues where a majority of people are in agreement. This transcript has been edited for clarity and length.
Sam Daley-Harris: 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 Mosher: 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.
SDH: Tell us about Why Do You Vote? and the Spark the Vote Social Media and Film Challenge.
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HM: Last September at the American Democracy Summit in Los Angeles I got deeply inspired when people from Headcountand 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 nonpartisan — or bridging issues — ones that most Americans actually agree on: climate, women’s bodily autonomy, marriage equality, sensible gun laws, health care, voting and democracy.
SDH: Walk us through how Why Do You Vote? works. What do people do and are there tools that help them do it?
HM: Participating at the most basic level is as easy as 1-2- 3. You can see a sample reel with each of our issues at www.whydoyou.vote.
First, you write your script, starting with “I vote because …” and then you fill in the blank, speaking from your heart about one of our issues. 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.
SDH: 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 challenge.
HM: 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 challenge. To have the most impact, we’ve scheduled it for Sept. 14 and 15, 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 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 and the link to the 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.
SDH: I was impressed by one of the videos, the one about voting for the climate. I loved that it’s a family effort.
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HM: 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.
SDH: This event puts the creative decision-making in more hands.
HM: 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.
