Ask an American to Vote is a lively new podcast for anyone who can vote from abroad in American elections—and for those who know someone who can. Launched by David Schellenberg and Rachel Eugster (chair and vice chair of DA Canada’s Capital Region chapter), the podcast can be heard at http://anchor.fm/demsabroadca or through Spotify or Google podcasts.
Eugster and Schellenberg hope to reach people—particularly in Canada – who have never exercised their right to vote. “Everyone in Canada knows an American,” says Schellenberg. “We want to find those people through their friends and motivate them to vote.”
“It’s a way to cut through the noise to explain issues of interest to American citizens living outside the U.S.,” says Eugster. “We’re trying to anticipate questions and demystify the process of voting from abroad.”
The first episode, posted December 11, focuses on DA’s Global Presidential Primary. “We wanted to help explain its importance, especially in anticipation of the deadline for candidates to qualify for DA’s ballot,” says Schellenberg. The second episode, posted January 23, focuses on requesting one’s ballot early and the hows and whys of doing this through Vote From Abroad. “We’re recommending that you do so annually on the ides of January,” says Eugster. “If you make your request by January 15 through votefromabroad.org, you will get ballots for all elections, primaries, special elections and recounts in that calendar year.”
Schellenberg and Eugster have an easy chemistry in the studio, each bringing professional skills to the project. In his day job, Schellenberg is a host for a popular morning radio program. A theatre artist, Eugster is no stranger to voice work. The first episodes are polished, engaging, and informative. “I hope so!” laughs Eugster. “We were aiming for something a little bit wonkish and a whole lot of fun.” Schellenberg adds that the duo have a rapidly growing list of topics for future episodes, “but we’d be happy to entertain suggestions.”Episodes #3 & #4 have just been released so click over to have a listen.