Transcript[]
Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby
As the sun rises, a doorbell rings at a suburban house. Moby, opens the front door. Russell Simmons is standing on the front step.
MOBY: Beep!
RUSSELL SIMMONS: Hey, can I speak to your parents?
MOBY: Beep!
Moby frowns and begins to close the front door. Simmons pushes the door back open.
RUSSELL SIMMONS: Wait a minute. I'm not selling anything. My name is Russell Simmons, and I'm here to remind you that today is election day.
MOBY: Beep.
Moby smiles and holds up a CD with his picture on the cover.
RUSSELL SIMMONS: Your demo? Oh, no. I don't think I got it. What's your name, kid?
MOBY: Beep.
RUSSELL SIMMONS: Moby? Don't you have a deal? I thought you were signed already.
Moby shrugs.
RUSSELL SIMMONS: Do me a favor. Just make sure your folks get out and vote today.
MOBY: Beep.
RUSSELL SIMMONS: That's easy - just remind them of all the taxes they pay every April. They're already paying for their government - they might as well have a say in what they do. Our elected officials are public servants. That means every one of them, from representatives to senators, all the way up to the President, work for you and me.
Images show the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and the President's Oval Office in the White House.
RUSSELL SIMMONS: Since we're the boss, we are responsible for what our government does, both at home and around the world.
An animation shows Earth from space.
RUSSELL SIMMONS: If you support the people in office now, voting will help them to stay there. And if you don't agree with your representatives, voting's the way to get them out.
An animation shows Tim's parents asleep in their bedroom. Tim's father is snoring. Moby bursts loudly into the bedroom, with Russell Simmons behind him. Tim's father's eyes open wide, but neither he nor Tim's mother move.
MOBY: Beep.
RUSSELL SIMMONS: Hey, how are you? It's Russell Simmons.
Tim enters the room and stands next to Moby and Russell Simmons. He speaks to his parents.
TIM: Uh, I think he wants you to make sure you vote today.
Tim reads from a typed letter.
TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, what happens during voting? How does it work? Thanks, Viviana.
RUSSELL SIMMONS: I've got to go. I'm on my way to vote right now.
Russell Simmons leaves. Tim's father gets out of bed and stands next to Tim, frowning.
TIM: Uh, we'll be in the kitchen.
Tim and Moby go to the kitchen.
TIM: Basically, voting is a way of giving your opinion, saying whether you're for or against something.
An image shows a voting ballot with two checkboxes, one labeled YES and one labeled NO.
TIM: You've probably voted for something, maybe on a class president, or a theme for your school dance, or what kind of game you'll play with your friends.
Animations show a student putting a ballot into a ballot box, a ballot for selecting a prom theme, and several young people playing soccer.
TIM: With voting, decisions can be based on what a majority of people want.
An animation shows a large group of smiley-faces, representing Americans of various races.
TIM: So it's a really important way for citizens of democracies, like the United States, to help decide how the government runs.
MOBY: Beep.
TIM: Yep. U.S. citizens have a right to some sort of say in their government, like who their representatives are, what laws are passed, and how public money is spent.
An animation shows a United States flag, along with symbols that represent the decisions that Tim names.
TIM: But voting isn't just a right - it's a responsibility that comes with being a citizen.
MOBY: Beep?
TIM: Well, no one can make you do it. But if you don't vote, you're giving up the right to have a say in how the country is run. And good people have fought hard to make sure that everyone has that right.
MOBY: Beep.
TIM: You're right. Not everyone can vote in government elections. For starters, you have to be a citizen, a resident of the state you're voting in, and eighteen years old when the election begins.
Images show a Certificate of Citizenship, a driver's license, and a birthday cake with candles in the shape of the number eighteen.
TIM: And you can't just walk up and vote. You have to register before the election, usually about a month ahead of time.
An animation shows a voter registration form.
TIM: You can register in lots of places, even over the Internet. Most government elections take place on Election Day, the Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
An animation shows a calendar page for the month of November, with a circle around the Tuesday after the first Monday, which happens to be November second.
MOBY: Beep.
TIM: Yep, it's a little complicated. It's usually the first Tuesday in November, but it's never November first.
An animation shows two additional calendar pages for the month of November, with a circle around Tuesday, November sixth and then Tuesday, November eighth.
MOBY: Beep.
TIM: Well, there are a few different ways to cast your vote. Some polling places use scanning cards, like the ones you might use at school to take a test.
An animation shows a scanning card.
TIM: Some are punch cards that ask you to mark your choice by punching out rectangles next to the candidates' names.
An animation shows a voter using a punch card and a pin to cast a vote.
TIM: Some are electronic. You touch a screen or push a button.
An animation shows a voter using a touch screen to cast a vote.
TIM: And then there are some lever machines. You flip a small switch next to the candidate you're voting for, and then you pull a huge lever to confirm your choice.
An animation shows a voter using a lever machine to cast a vote.
TIM: But whatever method your polling place uses, you have the right to privacy.
An animation shows Tim's parents, standing in separate voting booths. A curtain closes over each booth, giving them privacy.
TIM: No one is supposed to see who you're voting for.
MOBY: Beep.
TIM: Well, sure. You can tell people later if you want to, but you always cast your vote in secret. If you're traveling during an election, or if you can't get to the polls for some other reason, like illness, physical disability, or being in college out of state, then you can vote by absentee ballot.
An animation shows a man in a wheelchair putting his absentee ballot into a mailbox.
TIM: To vote absentee, you have to request a ballot from your state and mail it in by a certain deadline. Often, it has to be at the polling place by election day.
MOBY: Beep.
TIM: Well, yeah. I mean, voting isn't something that we can take for granted! There are many countries in the world where the people have no say in their government at all. That's one of the reasons people decide to immigrate to the U.S., for the opportunity to make their voices heard. Voting for both candidates and bills has a direct effect on the course of the country. When you go to the polls, your opinion is being counted, and you're taking part in democracy.
An animation shows three citizens in their voting booths, with the curtains closed.
MOBY: Beep.
TIM: Hey, yeah, that sounds like a cool idea. Let's go!
Tim and Moby stand on a sidewalk with two of their friends. All four of them face the street, holding signs for passing drivers to read. The signs read: Vote Today! Russell Simmons walks past them, reading a voting guide. Moby sneaks up behind him and slips his demo CD into the hood of Simmons' sweatshirt.