Educational Media Reviews Online

For this third in a series of Blame Show documentaries, Larry Litt filmed over fifty individuals talking about why Americans don’t vote, then assembled excerpts from those interviews into a running discussion on voting and American political power. Young and old, African American and Caucasian, voters and non-voters, they responded with a wide range of opinions on civil rights and the right to vote; not voting as a political statement; who benefits from voter apathy; political dishonesty; the voting public’s intelligence (or lack thereof); campaign funding and corporate sponsorship; and politics in the media.

Although most participants argue that it is important and worthwhile to vote - one points out that a vote can’t be meaningless if candidates will spend millions to get it - Litt also features several cynics who are less sure about the validity of the political process. Some have mixed feelings about voting when forced to choose between two bad candidates. Even those who are most passionate about politics admit they sometimes feel burned out.

Litt interviewed participants individually and edited their comments together to simulate a discussion. This is more of an artistic concept than a realistic accomplishment; participants are filmed from the shoulders up against a white background, and the film never creates the illusion of contact among them. The quick-cut, MTV-style presentation fragments speakers’ ideas, frequently interrupting them in mid-sentence.

Before You Don’t Vote should stimulate discussion about voting and the political process in any age group from middle school through a general adult audience. It is recommended primarily for college libraries, but would also be appropriate for high school and public libraries.