The NewsHour and PBS are partnering with YouTube on an exciting new project called “Video Your Vote,” which will look at the health of democracy in America by focusing on issues surrounding voting and attitudes towards voting. Classrooms across the country are eligible to receive a free Flip camera, or can use school cameras, to capture election-related videos. Each class will record and upload 10 short videos about the voting experience, contributing to a special YouTube pool of clips on the topic.

To apply for a free Flip camera, please email us ASAP at extra@newshour.org with the subject line Video Your Vote and tell us about your class.

Suggested subjects for the videos:

- Talk to students who will be voting in the election for the first time

- Interviews with parents, teachers and school staff about their past voting experiences
- Interviews with election officials about how they are preparing for the election and what they are expecting

- Visiting a retirement community to speak with elderly voters

- If the school will be a voting station students can talk to whoever is in charge
- An original election idea from the class

There is also a voting day component to the project where we would like students to take the cameras to the polls on Nov. 4 if possible. This can happen in a variety of ways, but a few possibilities are sending the cameras with students voting for the first time, or accompanying a few students to a polling place to interview people after they vote. There will be a special “How To” video from YouTube that will give guidelines for video taping at the polls.

Below are some examples of questions your students could explore in the videos.

Questions for parents, grandparents, teachers and staff members:

-Do you usually vote? Why or why not?

-How have your past voting experiences been?

-Have you ever run into a problem when voting, or felt pressure to vote one way or another?

-Will your job allow you time to go vote?

-Are there other complications that make it difficult to get to the polls?

-Is there anything that would make voting an easier or more enjoyable process for you?

Questions for students who are voting age:

-Will you be voting in this election? Why or why not?

-How does it feel to have the chance to vote in this election?

-What are some of the things you have to do, or want to do, before you cast your vote?

-What are you expecting the voting process to be like?

-Then have the students tape their experience at the polls or check in with after to see how it went.

Questions for election officials or poll organizers:

-What are some of the steps being taken to make sure each person has a chance to vote and feels comfortable during the process?

-What are some potential problems that could happen on election day?

-What types of problems have occurred in the past?

-Have there been any concerns this year about voting machines or the ballots being used?

-How would you respond to candidate supporters who want to stand outside the polls on election day?

Tips for Shooting Videos:
-Embrace brevity: Keep your videos short. 30 second- to 3 minute-long videos do best.
-Think balance: Talk to a wide range of people who offer diverse perspectives.
-Add color: Narrate as you film to add some color and context to what you're taping.
-Be loud: Speak loudly and clearly, and make sure your interview subjects do the same.
-Hold steady: Hold the camera as steady as you can and move it slowly when panning.