143. ONE PERSON, ONE VOTE? (2024) dir. Maximina Juson

Please rate & review The Movies on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever else you listen to the show!---Maximina Juson's ONE PERSON, ONE VOTE? looks to demystify the electoral college. From examining slavery's influence on its inception to recounting the abuses of said system committed in the pursuit of political power, the documentary advocates for civic education and participation. Remember what GI Joe taught us: knowledge is power.The documentary jumps between evocative animated dramatizations of the Constitutional Convention and election past, black-and-white readings of words from the delegates of said convention performed by an all-Black cast (which, if you think about how these men regarded their ancestors as inhuman, serves as a sort of beautiful "Fuck you" to history), fly-by profiles of four Colorado electors during the 2020 presidential election and a series of talking head interviews.I appreciate each of these elements individually, but their assembly leaves me even more confused about how to approach the electoral college this year. Is the system the problem or are the corner-cutting dirty fuckers, as Dave Hause eloquently puts it, abusing said system the culprits we should place the blame on? I think I'm looking for a more even spread in terms of how to handle the electoral college but this movie's definitely planted its flag in team "National Popular Vote."Not to say I'm against the movement but I could've used some more math. What happens if you redo the 2020 election as a popular vote? How does the math change which states gain the most influence? I think that would improve this movie's case. In the meantime, I'm gonna go rewatch THE WEST WING.---Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠Instagram ⁠⁠& ⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠Financially support the podcast via the ⁠⁠tip jar!