If you watched the news at all, back in the
summer of 2016,
you probably remember stories like these:
“A guy who is brash, a guy who is blunt…”
“Americans aren’t willing to trust her,
don’t think she’s honest…”
The news spent a lot of time dissecting the
candidates’ personalities…
“He’s very forward and he’s a little
bit vicious…”
Analyzing their poll numbers…
“Closing the gap in states that matter most…”
And psychoanalyzing their supporters.
These stories are part of a long tradition
of political journalism
where the goal is to make you feel like an
insider;
someone with all the information on who’s
up, who’s down,
in which states, with which groups...
And this kind of coverage basically treats
an election like a big event.
“Sanders! Warren! Buttigieg!”
A competition. A show.
And it’s designed to make you feel smart
as someone watching the election.
“Donald Trump doing very well across the
middle…”
Kind of like how knowing all the stats about
a sports team
makes you feel really smart when you’re
watching the game.
“Donald Trump in July, $80 million, by far
his best month to date,
though that fell short of Clinton’s $90
million…”
Sometimes we make videos like that here at Vox.
But there’s also another way that journalists
can cover an election:
Not as a show, but as a choice -
between plans, priorities, and visions for
what a country should do next.
This kind of coverage is designed to make
you a smarter voter.
Or, if you don’t live in the US,
to at least help you understand what this
giant election is actually about.
That is what we want to make videos about
between now and election day.
Not about what’s going to happen in the
election, but what might change after it.
And to explain that, we want your help.
At the link below, there's one question we
want you to answer:
That’s it.
It could be a specific question, like, should
we break up the big tech companies?
Or, why aren’t more drugs legal?
Why do American companies give so little parental
leave?
Or it could be a topic that’s just been
on your mind lately.
Like, what’s the deal with the cost of college?
Or what’s going to happen with college?
Or transportation…
or food security...
Or paying for childcare…
or student loans….
Whatever it is, tell us at the link below,
or at vox.com/ElectionVideos.
What’s happening in your life that you wish
they would pay attention to?
Your ideas will become the list of the things
we explain between now and election day.
And then starting in September, we’ll put
out one video every week.
Each video will come from something you asked
us for.
And if your suggestion or question inspired
us, we’ll shout you out in that video.
This year, and this election, are not turning
out how we thought they would.
And the way we explain elections shouldn’t
stay the same either.
But first we need your help.
So thanks for watching. And thanks for sticking
with us.
