Your Election, Documented on YouTube

To mark Tuesday's historic presidential election, thousands of Americans documented their voting experience on camera and shared it with the world on YouTube. We launched the Video Your Vote program in partnership with PBS to encourage and collect these videos in one place and provide a unique perspective on democracy-in-action.

From enthusiastic first-time voters to African-Americans celebrating the opportunity to cast a ballot for Barack Obama, many Americans brought their video cameras to the polls simply to chronicle their excitement and produce a record to share with their grandchildren. Others focused on election protection, documenting long lines in inclement weather, broken voting machines, and instances of voter intimidation.

In addition:

• Parents brought their children to vote, and volunteers shuttled the elderly to their polling places.


• Eager young voters rose before the sun to get in line, and brand new citizens exercised their right to vote as Americans for the first time.


• Some voted happily in the privacy of their own homes, while others drove to the nearest McDonalds to fill out a ballot while picking up a happy meal.

And when the votes were counted, people from around the world shared their reactions to the election of Barack Obama as our next President.



Over 2,000 videos (and counting) have poured into the Video Your Vote YouTube channel thus far, and each one is being plotted onto a Google Map, weaving a rich tapestry of voter video diaries. Search for a specific location to see videos uploaded near your home.

For more, check out the Video Your Vote channel.