Call It what It Is with Jessica Capshaw and Camille Luddington, an iHeartRadio podcast.
Hello, Hello, Hello, Hello, Jessica Capshaw and Call It crew.
Welcome to another short and sweet.
It is now the fall here on the East Coast, which I'm sure I feel more than you do. But the fall brings so many different things, so many of them that I love, and.
This particular year, it brings.
The elections, all the presidential elections, not just any old election, and I think that it's very important that we are in conversation with our crew about.
What that means and what our.
What we have as options, what are responsible, what and how we feel about elections, but most importantly expressing our vote and being heard, because we have the best friar in the whole world, and we hear from you all the time, and we know how smart and kind and empathetic and just opinionated you all are. And so now it's time to get those opinions out, do your research and cast your vote. I think that the first and very most important part of voting is what Camilla.
Research.
You got to have your opinion on the things, and I have to say that I well, first off, do you remember your very first time voting?
You know, you don't shocking because there was one hundred years ago. I mean it makes sense. Were you, as a woman, a last vote?
It was right, it was right after they let us vote.
I cast my first vote. Yeah, you were first. There wasn't even a camera to keep a record of it.
No, there's a painting somewhere.
I sat for so many hours for that.
I still feel very new to this. This is only going to be the second election, I believe, second, maybe third election that I have ever been able to vote for. Oh I think second. I became a citizen back right after Trump had taken office. So this is a little while ago, and I'm still learning this process as.
An immigrant to this country.
And some of you, I know are just turning eighteen, and this might be new for you too, and so I'm still learning all these things. And so this is as much for me and people like me as you, guys, Jessica, if you do want to, because the ballot that we are going to be sending in isn't just going to be for the presidential.
Pick for yous, not just presidential and VP. There are other things in play here. So the very very very first step in this incredible adventure that, by the way, we don't have to do, we get to do, is going to vote dot org because you need to understand what on record for you personally, where you're registered to vote, under what name, making sure that you have the entire list of things you have to have, which is definitely a driversizense or proof of you know, identity. But it
can be very confusing. And I say this as someone who thinks that they've got it all under control. I feel very prepared for most things in my life, and I have shown up to more than one place to cast my vote and been told that I was meant to be voting in a different place, or that my address wasn't what was last recorded. And again, I mean I totally it can take responsibility for being wrong, but I really didn't think I was gonna be I thought
that I was prepared, so these things can happen. Please please, please go to vote dot org to find out what your status is and where you are registered to vote. It's very very important, especially if you are someone who votes on the day.
Let's talk about the local ballot, right.
So the local ballot to me was confusing initially because I didn't realize that. The first time I was voting, I was learning that you're not just voting for the president. You are also voting for what your local community stands on in their measures and yes and the candidates. And if I had gone in blind, I would have had to leave all of that blank.
Yep, but I want to have an opinion on those things.
So if you're like me and Jessica and you don't want to show up winging it all the day.
Nope, vote And it's really better for everyone if you don't wing it.
Until they don't, it's really let's not You can go to vote for one one dot org slash ballot to learn more about your local candidates.
You can get the information that you need to make the decision that you want to make.
And again, all about being heard.
This is the opportunity, which let's just talk about this for a second because it might not be anyone else. But I sometimes can feel really small when it comes to government. I can feel like, what is my vote matter? Is anyone even counting it? How does this all work? And I guess it's sort of a pessimistic way to look at it. And I consider myself an optimist, but sometimes I get a little worried or I think I don't know it, gets kind of down on it, and
I think, what does it matter? And then thank God, I'm surrounded by people who are just the deepest and fiercest believers in democracy. And by the way, I love my country so much and I care so much what happens in it and to it. And this is what I'm reminded of, what these people remind me of. Then that spend a lot more time in it and around it. That absolutely our voices count. Every single vote counts. Lots of people have been convinced that they don't. That's just
not true. Your vote counts so much and it's so important that you cast it. And again, this is not about who you vote for. This is about showing up to vote. And I think sometimes also it's important to say, you know, this is an opportunity where you're voting alone. Nobody sees your vote right. So again that research that you do should likely be.
On your own.
You should figure out what is important to you and what you believe on certain issues, and there's a ton of information out there for you to be able to make that decision. But you're not going in with your friends, and you're not going in with your family. You're going in by yourself. So what you do when you're casting your vote, no one knows about. That's one of another one of the most amazing things about America and how this system was set up. This is not about you
and your friends. This is about you figuring out what you want going into a place that is definitely like, not to get cheesy, but it's a sacred place. It's held anonymously and you know and well, I guess it's not anonymously right because your record. But anyways, it's a sacred place where you can go in and no one will know what you did. And by the way, you don't have to tell people who you vote for.
You don't.
That's your right to have on your own. You can vote for whoever you want to, and you can come out and say you voted for someone else.
Who cares, it's your vote? Make account.
Wow. I just I honestly I don't even know how to how to follow on that, because I'm like, can you run for president?
Vote for you?
Just on that? That was good?
Just get captured twenty I'll vote yes.
My, my, my, My slogan will be sneaky democracy.
You don't have to tell anyone who you vote for.
No, No, I really like that because I feel I feel like people's families, friends. You know, sometimes it can't you can't feel like the odd one out voting for a certain person and the pressure to do it.
And I love that.
It is just for you. I do remember the first time I got to vote. I felt so excited.
I felt like it was such a privilege. I like literally got.
Like a rush on the day, took a selfie with my little sticker, because not everybody gets that opportunity, and as women, we didn't get that opportunity for a really, really long time. Jessica and I were like looking up the date before this and what was it nineteen twenty?
What was it? Well, first of all, someone thought it was in eighteen hundreds, and I thought, no, I don't think we've had it that long. But it actually was nineteen twenty.
Nineteen twenty, so it's literally only been a little over one hundred years, which is insane. So but yeah, I think that the experience of it for first timers like me too, is just really exciting.
It's an honor and don't underestimate what you were just talking about that little because if you care about social media, if you care about being you know, in the know and with it, you need a selfie with that sticker. You can't take someone else's sticker you they give it, they give one. Only you got to get that sticker, and you got to show up. By the way, who's voting, Get that sticker, Take a selfie, Tag us, Tag your friends, let them everyone know. We want to see that, We
want to see that you voted. I would love, love, love to see the crew. Let's just get out some quick facts so that everybody can hear them.
So here are the dates.
National voter registration day, which has passed, was Tuesday, September seventeenth. If you did not register to vote, that was not the only day that you can register to vote. Do it now, you got it, let's go. The CBS Vice presidential debate between JD. Vance and Tim Walls will be Tuesday, October first, very good opportunity to hear from the candidates. Then early voting is between Saturday, October twenty sixth and Sunday, November three. Shout out to my mama because that's her birthday.
Yay. I love an early vote, you guys, because we know those lines. Listen, it's a privileged standing in those lines. But those are some lines.
So earl lines and talk about you know what to use one of your favorite words. There have been some shenanigans in those lines. Yeah, so don't show up for the shenanigan time, show up for the early time.
Be the early bird.
I want to talk to our crew real quick.
In Alabama, Mississippi, New Hampshire, and West Virginia, you guys are living in states where there is no early voting option available and you have to have an eligible reason to vote by mail.
So just you guys, like we said, go to vote dot org.
Check out where you're living, check out check out what the rules are for your state.
So many rules I know you, and this one I got to tell you. You cannot fudge this. This is a very rule centric operation, which, by the way, is worth pointing out because some people worry about that challenge that you know that the rules are being upheld. Yes, the rules are being upheld. This is America, one of the greatest nations in the world, and we have a system for a reason. So I'm going to go through really quickly again how to vote. You're going to check
your registration. You're going to register to vote. It takes it takes left to two minutes, yep, two minutes. With trust, you can vote by mail except for in the states that Camilla just mentioned. You can request an absentee ballot. Then you need to see what's on your ballot. Then that refers back to what we were saying, which is your local ballot. If you need help researching that, you can go too.
You can go to vote or one one dot org slash ballot.
And when in doubt, visit vote dot org for more help. We all need help because this is a really really important right that we have. And again I'm just gonna point it out, like the nerd I am, we do not have to vote. We get to vote, So get your butt out there and vote.
I'm also going to say, I like, I like my kids seeing me vote. Oh gosh, yes, yeah, I think that's I think it's nice for Haydes and Haydes and Lucas to see mommy and daddy be out there voting.
Yeah, it's really important. By the way, it's also very cool.
I mean again, sometimes there's a little bit of a you know, it's like cool to not care, especially for the younger set. Sorry, I a'm singling you out, but like you know, sometimes it's like I don't care.
That's okay, it'll all work out. My vote it doesn't count. It's only it's cool to not care.
Guess what, it's so much cooler to care. And when some things that are being decided will affect you in a negative way, you should really care.
So get on out there. Okay.
So also, if for some reason you've registered for an absentee ballot and you are not able to do that, you can still go to the polls and vote. So, by the way, that's happened to me before, it really did and I was living in California and I showed up at my place and I also, okay, another thing
to mention. I'm sorry I have to say this, but I do you know, all of these wonderful people that are at the polling places are volunteers and they show up to again be a part of this incredible process and that and for that, I'm very thankful that being said, they're showing up on the day. They don't always know every single thing. I've been in places where people were volunteering and they maybe didn't have all the information or they said, oh no, you can't vote here, you got
to go vote over there. Just keep asking questions, keep asking for the supervisor, keep asking for If you're not getting the answer you want or someone's telling you that you cannot vote, you just keep on pressing ahead. You ask for supervisors, you ask for whoever's in charge, and you make sure that you do not leave without voting.
This has happened to me, by the way. I went to last time I voted.
I went to a polling place that said that they did not have me on a record to vote there, and then eventually, after standing my ground and talking to numerous people, they found my information.
So these things happen on the day. They're nobody's fault.
It's just, you know, a little bit of a chaotic day sometimes and there's so many people coming through.
But yes, I.
Agree with Jess, stay stay in line, stay in line line if you're experiencing some serious problems on the day.
Yes, if you are experiencing the aforementioned shenanigans, if someone's telling you that you're in the wrong place or you need to go over here, or it's a different.
Day or whatever.
So Camilla, there's this other thing where voter suppression is real, which is again why you need to stand your ground and ask a lot of questions and be super prepared. But if in fact you feel as though someone or a group of people is trying to suppress your vote, then you also have options to report that and get help.
If that happens.
Jessica, you can call eight stick six our vote. That's eight six six six ' eight seven eight six eighty three. That is a hotline that you can call if there are problems, let's say.
Yeah, And that can look a bunch of different ways, but listen, at the end of the day, no one can fault you for asking questions. So make sure, triple make sure and get it out.
And on the day tag us.
So whenever you vote, please tag us in your sticker pictures.
We will repose them on the call.
I will be so excited I will be posting mine.
We're excited for the crew to get out there and vote.
Let's do this, and you guys, we know that we're talking and spewing out a lot of facts, right, So here's what we have decided that we can do for you guys. Go to our call it what it is Instagram.
We're going to have all.
The information posted a little infographics for you guys.
And you can get all of your information there.
Yes, all right, Jessica, Okay, let's call it the end
Of the voting episode.