Why I'm voting is presented by seventh generation, some of the people who will be most affected by this election are too young to vote in it. They'll be living in the future we create right now. If you can vote, you can make sure the next generation's voices are heard. Go to Seventh Generation Dotcom's. Vote for the future to hear their stories and share your pledge to vote. Welcome to why I'm voting a production of I Heart Radio. Listen, you already know this, but it's an election year.

You might already be tired of hearing about it. But here's the thing. Democracy doesn't work without you. I'm Holly Fry and I'm sitting down with many of my fellow podcasters, from Will Ferrell to Stephanie Ruhle, as well as other luminaries to find out about their relationships with the ballot box and ultimately just to find out why they vote. I hope you're exercising your right to vote. And if you're not, I hope that their stories inspire you. So today on Why I am voting, I am joined by the fabulous and delightful Chuck Bryant, host of Stuff You Should Know, and also movie Crash and General all around guy who has kindly agreed that should have been all around.

Good guy, but whatever.

He's definitely an all around guy, a good guy to join us and talk about his relationship with voting a little bit, sir, right out of the gate. Do you remember when you realized as a kid maybe that voting was a thing and something that you could potentially participate in one day?

Well, Holly, here's my story. I grew up in a house that did not really talk politics. It was a politics free zone, except for the occasional grousing of my dad, I guess, about something. But it was just not something that was very big in my family for some reason. And, you know, of course, I learned about all that kind of thing in civics class and voting, but it didn't really hit home. I kind of got a late start as far as personally being involved politically.

That didn't come around till till later, like toward the end of college.

So you didn't register right away, like when you were 18? I didn't. And I may have been completely wrong about this, but if I remember correctly, I think I remember that. And it may have been true, but that if you register to vote, you are also registered for the draft. And even though it's silly to think that there would even be a draft anymore, I think I remember at the time being like, oh, it's not for me, for me.

And and I don't even know if that was true. So it was is very shameful, looking back. But I also didn't know anything about anything back then. So I don't know if I would have been a responsible voter even.

Yeah, I think there's no shame in acknowledging, like, when you're kind of still a dumb kid, right. You're not really ready to make decisions anyway and maybe aren't ramping up to vote. Do you remember what made you finally decide to register to vote? Yeah.

You know, in college, I think for a lot of people is when a lot of that stuff becomes a little more to the forefront, a little more spiritually awake and politically awake and all that good stuff. And I remember very distinctly and I guess my sophomore year in college, maybe my second or third year when the first Gulf War happened, and sitting around and watching that on CNN and having a roommate who is now an attorney, that was pre law back then that was very political.

And his name was Rob Elzy. And Rob, we're still friends. He really kind of brought politics to the apartment. And my other roommate, Eddie Cooper, also were both ahead of me politically. And that's when I first started kind of realizing that it's important to be involved and to be aware and to know what the hell's going on.

Do you remember the first time that you actually voted? Like, do you have any memories of that first ballot experience? I do. The first election I participated in was my final year in college because I spent six years there was the 96 election, which I guess was Bill Clinton. Part two, if I'm remembering, right? Yeah. Yeah, that track. Yeah. And that was I think, you know, Nader was involved back then. I think Ross Perot was having his second go around.

And that's when I cast my first vote, as you know, as a Democrat. And I've been a lifelong Democrat since then.

What is your research process like or do you research for elections like? I know for me, like some of the local politicians, like they're not getting ads. I got to do some some legwork to make sure I know who I'm voting for. What is your process like?

Well, I mean, you and I are both sort of professional researchers, so we know our way around the Internet when it comes to finding the good research. I like to think, you know, with the presidential candidates and all, it's the way it's constructed in this country. You kind of have a choice of one or two things usually, and that's always easy for me. But as you go down ticket, I do research. I just try to you know, Facebook a lot of times is where not what people are saying, but people linking to some good information is a good place to get stuff.

I always try to read up on the measures, the local measures that are going to be on the ballot, whether it's can you drink on Sundays in Georgia? Two things that are a little more substantial, but I try to kind of investigate and I ask around to people that are smarter than me. I don't think there's any shame in seeking out opinions of people that really know their stuff, you know?

Yeah, this kind of brings up the thing.

So you do obviously vote down ticket, but do you make sure that you hit like the local elections that maybe aren't part of a bigger, you know, every for every two years situation I do now and for the past probably fifteen years or so because I got a late start, I thought, you know, you go in and you vote for the president and that's doing your civic duty.

And then the more I grew up and became a, you know, sentient, responsible adult, you realize, I think like we all do and like you probably have, that a lot of those local elections really, really matter as far as what impacts you and the people that you love and people in your community. So that is definitely. Something that came on later in life, but now those are very important elections for me, my husband and I always make voting a date.

Oh, that's fun. Where we always, like, go to breakfast or we go have lunch afterwards, whatever our schedule will permit. Do you have any rituals around voting? Well, I try to vote early in the the pre voting just because I don't like standing in lines and stuff, although I will say I've had some great experiences standing in long lines to vote, some great feeling of community, because I think that's one of the fun things about voting, is you vote in your district and you're voting with your neighbors.

And I live in a very mixed race neighborhood in Atlanta and going in to vote and standing in those lines to vote for President Obama. It was a great feeling. And you could you could feel it in the air. And there was just a good spirit of community and friendliness. And so I don't mind those lines because it can make me feel closer to my my fellow person and my neighbor. But I also do like to try an early vote as well just to get in and out.

It sort of depends. If I miss my window, it's not like, you know, I don't hang my head. I just go like, all right, I'll just stand in line.

Yeah. I like the line to you because I feel like it makes you remember that you're not just voting for yourself. You're voting for the well-being of everyone in your community. Totally. That's a great way to look at it. Now, you, like me, came to voting a little bit later. You weren't right out of the gate at eighteen. But I feel like kids today are better informed, certainly, than I was at that age. So, yeah, if there are any people out there, whether they're young or even older, that maybe aren't using their right to vote, if you could tell them one thing, what would it be?

Well, I feel like subsequent generations behind us are more politically active than we were maybe. But then I also sometimes see the voting numbers and see things like, you know, the younger generation isn't voting like they should. So I'm not quite sure how to reckon that. I would say, you know, take a look at the world around you. And if you don't like what you see, it's kind of one of the only things that we have.

We can protest and we can petition. We can lobby and make calls to congresspeople and senators. But your vote is really the only thing where you know that you're on record of having cast your official say on something. And that's important. You know, I don't get sidetracked about the Electoral College and some states people might not think their vote counts, but it does, especially because of the ballot measures and the local elections and council elections and stuff like that.

It always counts. It's your duty.

And lastly, you know, as we go forward and we're getting older and maybe becoming jaded, old hags, at least I am right there with you.

But I wonder what it is that keeps you motivated to vote, knowing that like it's not the same as when you're a kid and you're predicting or determining your future for quite as long a run. Like what is it that keeps you, Mei-Ling, in that ballot or going to the polls even when it's a pain in the butt? I have a daughter now, a five year old daughter, and that's a big part of it. I want to ensure her rights to have control of her own body.

I would feel the same way if I had a son, obviously. But it does hit home a lot more when you have a daughter. I think so. A lot of this is to set an example for her to take her with me. If you know she's getting to the age where obviously not during a pandemic, but she'll be going to vote with me the next time. It's safe to do so. And I want to teach her about that kind of stuff because I wasn't really taught that stuff.

So I think it's a very selfish thing to only think about. While I'm here, let me vote for the things that are important to me. It's it's about the future and making sure the planet's taken care of and making sure that everyone has their rights enshrined into law. And to not vote is it's lazy. It's cynical, I think. And I'm trying to rid myself of that cynicism, which is tough as you get older. But to set an example for my daughter, I guess is the easiest answer.

A perfect one, in my opinion. You're continuing the chain of voters. I love it. I'm trying to check. Thank you so much for chatting with me today, but also just thank you for voting.

Thank you. And I wear that sticker all day. I know that's a big part of it. That Georgia peach. It is. It's cute.

You got to post it on one of the social media as well. Yes, that's how people know. So thank you, Holly. It was a pleasure to talk to you again. It's always a delight for me. I feel spoiled. I've gotten to do two chats with you recently. You know, let's keep it up and let's keep voting everybody. Yes, please.

Hey, are you not registered to vote yet, but you think it's something you want to do, you may still have time. Voter registration deadlines vary by state. So to find out the scoop for where you are. Check out a nonpartisan registration voting site like Head Count Dog or Fair Vote Dog. Why I'm Voting is an I heart radio production. For more podcasts from my heart radio, visit the I Heart radio app, Apple podcasts or wherever it is you listen to your favorite shows.