Meet the Characters
Dawn Taylor
Dawn Taylor needs to pick up something for work.
Dawn is unwillingly thrust into the job of paying for her family, as her husband refuses to take much responsibility. She used to work for Airtran Airlines in food service but since Airtran went out of business some years ago, she has not worked in the industry. Recently she discovered an online app that helps generate some extra income. With her husband contributing little, she has become the primary earner and been working hard to bring in the dollars for her family.
What she's up to on Election Day: Dawn is on her way downtown to pick up something for work.
Why is it hard for Dawn Taylor to vote? As a primary breadwinner, Dawn has a lot of responsibility. Her husband doesn’t contribute much besides childcare (and not always that). Self-employed now, she finds much of her time taken up by preparing for work and getting herself ready to get on camera.
Understand the issues:
John Wu
He has misplaced his medicine.
John Wu is clumsy and a bit nervous. He has difficulty with some tasks, and has had a hard time keeping a job. Usually he is lucid. Sometimes neighbors who don’t know him call the police. But overall John Wu is a gentle soul who does no one any harm. He spends most of the day walking around aimlessly.
What he's up to on Election Day: applying for a job as a security guard downtown.
Why is it hard for John Wu to vote? John Wu was diagnosed with a mental illness. Recent incompetence laws have allowed judges to remove voters if they think they may be mentally disabled.
Understand the issues:
June Wu
Needs to find a plumber.
June Wu is very industrious. She always takes care of her neighbors and picks up after people. She is selfless and hardworking. She is the only caregiver for her schizophrenic son who is a huge burden. She never complains. She has money to pay her mortgage from renting the illegal apartment in her house to college students Dave and Logan.
What she's up to on Election Day: Alice has a plumbing problem which is expensive to fix. June has offered to try to find a plumber to help Alice. Over the course of the day, June often appears carrying a p-trap for a sink asking various people if they can help.
Why is it hard for June Wu to vote? June does everything for everyone. She runs from place to place. But June gets all her mail at a PO Box. Though she owns a house, her driver’s license also has the PO Box. She hasn’t had time to go to the DMV to change the address on her ID. Everyone knows her at the local precinct but her name still isn’t on the list.
Understand the issues:
Fred Taylor
Has to watch his kids today.
Fred is an unemployed father doing double duty as primary caregiver to his and Dawn's three awesome children. Sometimes a little paranoid from smoking pot. Sometimes aloof. Often unaware of his surroundings. Fred used to work as a programmer of bank software. He was really good at it and enjoyed the work. When he was laid off, Fred wanted to take a break from programming but then never really got started again. His wife pressured him to go back to work but his efforts backfired as he ended up insulting his friends– professionals, lawyers and other programmers. They don’t talk so much any more.
What he's up to on Election Day: taking their kids to play in the park.
Why is it hard for Fred Taylor to vote? Fred is a little depressed about the way things have gone in his life. He is having a hard time adjusting to being the primary caregiver for his three kids and is realizing how much work this can be. He has put off registering to vote week after week.
Understand the issues:
Rob and Bill
They are sightseeing this week.
Rob and Bill are a young gay couple from out of town and staying in an AirBNB. Bill is very well paid because he works in a hospital as an RN. Rob comes from a wealthy family and doesn’t work. Rob and Bill already voted in the election absentee. They are happy because they are on vacation, have time, money and no real problems.
Rob can be jealous of Bill. But Bill really loves Rob and dotes on him so Rob gets over it. Bill likes talking to people, including strangers, charming them. But once a while, Bill gets frustrated because he ends up doing all the work. Not only at the hospital but also all the work at home like dishes and taking care of the dogs. Even on vacation, Bill is the one organizing and planning, figuring out where to go and what to see and what to buy, while Rob is more distracted and carefree.
What they're up to on Election Day: Rob and Bill are heading downtown to take pictures of historic buildings including the capital building.
Why is it hard for Rob and Bill to vote? Rob and Bill got ahead of things this year and voted absentee. But they are a little worried their vote won’t be counted because their community was recently hit by a hurricane and have read that some mail may be lost or delayed.
Understand the issues:
Alice
Has an appointment at the beauty salon.
Alice is an elderly spinster. Genuine but a bit frivolous. She spends a lot of time looking in the mirror at herself, inspecting and remembering. She does everything she can to take care of her looks. And it shows. Alice is especially proud of her legs, which look as good as ever. She keeps extra stockings in her purse in case there is a run. Some years ago after her husband died, Alice took on a woman to clean the house. It's the biggest house on the block but she lives alone so there isn’t much to clean. Alice really likes the company and so her cleaning woman, Teresa, has become a home help aid.
What she's up to on Election Day: Alice is heading downtown to visit a beauty salon. She is also going to a cemetery to place flowers on the grave of her lost pet.
Why is it hard for Alice to vote? Alice doesn’t trust mail-in voting and it is hard for her to physically access the voting booth. She felt harassed last time she went to vote. She was also a little confused about a new voting machine setup and was somewhat embarrassed to admit this to the cute poll worker there to help.
Understand the issues:
Teresa
Helps Alice get around.
Teresa is a caregiver, has cats and is single. She has a few friends but generally her work is her life. She would like to go out more and would like to be in a relationship. She thinks often of leaving Alice’s service but is attached to Alice in spite of herself. And she knows that she is the only one who could possibly put up with the old lady and has come to find some of her quirks amusing.
What she's up to on Election Day: helping Alice downtown. Meeting with a friend who sells vegetables.
Why is it hard for Teresa to vote? Teresa is an undocumented worker, who’s not allowed to vote, but does pay taxes. She is very informed about politics both from talking to Alice and from her community. But she’s not voting today!
Understand the issues:
Tanijah
She's late to her job.
Tanijah is an entrepreneur who wants to open up her own restaurant. She is going to night school for a degree in restaurants and hospitality. In the meantime she is working hard cleaning and doing other small other jobs but still doesn’t seem to be getting ahead. She has no car and has to take city buses to get around. She really loves people and will spend an hour with a stranger in a conversation. Having fun is endemic for Tanijah who is a truly joyous person. Her sister has six kids she loves. She really wants to see the kids but often just can’t seem to get time.
What she's up to on Election Day: She's headed home.
Why is it hard for Tanijah to vote? Tanijah is in the US on a working visa. She is a citizen of Jamaica. She pays taxes but does not have voting privileges. So Tanijah won't be voting today, just catching up on all the reading for her exam!
Understand the issues:
Dale
He's worried about the national debt.
Dale believes in self-determination and independence. He raises dogs for money. He has a gun collection. He takes politics very seriously and is worried about the government. Neighbors know not to step on his grass because he has been known to report this to the neighborhood organizations. Once some teenagers sat on his carefully cleaned car and he sat out on his porch every night for a month with a loaded shotgun. Now all the kids are afraid of him.
What he's up to on Election Day: Dale wanted to be an official poll worker downtown but suspiciously he was denied the job. Nevertheless, he is watching to make sure there is no foul play. He also has a few complaints about the way things are run.
Why is it hard for Dale to vote? Dale is very concerned with the voting process. He is worried about people voting twice. He is worried about someone stealing his vote. He distrusts electronic voting machines. He swears his vote was not counted in the last election and is determined that this won’t happen again.
Understand the issues:
Nancy
Nancy has to be at a very important meeting.
Nancy is extremely positive and motivated. She is Catholic and has strong religious values that she cares about communicating. Nancy believes these values are shared by most Americans and is on a patriotic mission to see that they are implemented into policy and law. She is a rising star in the local Republican party, and often gets her husband Dale to help out at events.
What she's up to on Election Day: Nancy is meeting up with the group “Moms for Liberty”, an organization working to influence the election outcomes.
Why is it hard for Nancy to vote? Nancy doesn’t like that ballots are printed in so many languages. She waited for a long time to immigrate to the US legally and doesn’t think it is fair for others to skip ahead. She worked hard to learn English and thinks other people should have to do that too. Like her husband Dale, Nancy doesn’t trust the voting machines.
Understand the issues:
Caleb, Madison and Brittany
They're making a music video, doh!
The kids have unique personalities but usually do things together. Caleb enjoys showing off. Madison and Brittany are phone-obsessed. They are always on social media and doing things only to have them captured on camera and posted to tiktok. They live online and will often huddle around the one phone they share, as if it was a campfire keeping them alive. They are sometimes oblivious to anything going on around them in the real world. They admire internet memes like “planking,” or death defying dares.
What they're up to on Election Day: They are going downtown for frozen yogurt and to see if there is anything exciting happening. Maybe their Dad will let them go to a video arcade.
Why is it hard for Caleb, Madison and Brittany to vote? Caleb, Madison and Brittany are kids. They are not allowed to vote until they turn 18. Germany and Belgium have recently lowered the voting age from 18 to 16.
Understand the issues:
Dave and Logan
Have the "day off" from classes.
Dave and Logan have different personalities but generally do things together. They are both college students who don’t take college work very seriously. Yet. They pay for college by a combination of parents’ money and personal loans which they do not believe they will ever be able pay back so they are a bit nihilistic and fatalistic. They are also skeptical of the US and the electoral process because they believe that the US is falling apart. All money has already been made, all land taken. Their votes don't count the same as their buddies back home in a different state due to the electoral college. There isn’t a lot they can do about it, so they are vaguely resentful. They aspire to have girlfriends but sometimes are too lazy to go out.
What they're up to on Election Day: Dave and Logan follow the crowds with no real plan. They might vote, they might not. They are looking for something but aren’t really sure what.
Why is it hard for Dave and Logan to vote? Dave and Logan live in a US state, where, due to the electoral college, their vote counts less than it would if they lived in a neighboring state. They don’t feel like their vote counts and this adds to their overall sense of fatality.
Understand the issues: