October 5, 2020 • 9 mins
If you want to change, preserve, or build a better America, there’s one easy way to make your voice heard: Vote. This year, iHeartRadio is teaming up with over 20 incredible celebrities (plus a handful of our most popular podcasters) to get the country excited to go vote, broadcasting the personal, emotional and heartfelt stories behind why showing up to the ballot box means so much-- not just as individuals, but for our entire nation.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Why I'm Voting, a production of I Heart Radio. Listen.
You already know this, but it's an election year. You
might already be tired of hearing about it. But here's
the thing. Democracy doesn't work without you. I'm Holly Frying,
and I'm sitting down with many of my fellow podcasters,
from Will Ferrell to Stephanie Rule, as well as other
(00:26):
luminaries to find out about their relationships with the ballot
box and ultimately just to find out why they vote.
I hope you're exercising your right to vote, and if
you're not, I hope that their stories inspire you. Welcome
to Why I'm Voting Today. I am joined by the
(00:47):
legendary singer songwriter Melissa Ethridge. You know her from her
body of work, which is significant, but also she's got
some new projects going. In June, she staged the Heal
Me Concert on her website Melissa eth Ridge dot com
um from her new home studio to raise money for
the opioid crisis, and now you can actually see her
weekly on her website as part of her new initiative
(01:08):
Ethrite TV. But she is also a voter. Melissa, thank
you so much for being with me today. Oh, it's
my pleasure. Anytime I can talk about this and get
people out there to vote, I'm all for that. I
love it. I will ask you first if you can
recall when you first learned about voting and that you
were going to be a participant in this grand experiment
of democracy. Well, I grew up in Kansas, you know,
(01:31):
right in the middle of the country, and my father
was a Republican and my mother was a Democrat. I know,
it was funny because this is in the sixties and seventies,
when my mother came from sort of that southern Democrat
and my father came from the the labor you know unions,
you know, working man Republican back when they was like
(01:53):
that back then. And I used to watch each of them.
They were very interested and involved and they always voted.
And I remember watching the Democratic convention with Humphrey and
then I watched the Republican conventions with Nixon, and I
just was kind of raised both ways, and I was
just fascinated. My father also taught American government in high school,
(02:17):
so I learned, you know a little bit about American government,
how it worked. So I had that sort of nice
solid Foundation and then but I didn't think. I didn't
know how to register. I didn't know how to do anything.
I went after college and was like votings for other people,
you know. And when I finally got to Long Beach, California,
when I was about twenty one twenty three, I started
(02:37):
to get involved with There's a strong women's community there
and they were very politically active. And I remember in
the bars women going around saying, are you registered to vote?
And they came and registered me and said this is
how you do it. And my first vote was for
du Caucus. You know, yeah, Michael de Caucus. Yeah, yeah,
(03:00):
that's so cool that you got registered in a bar.
I kind of love that. Hey, they knew where to
go get the you know, that was the only place
that the women sort of gathered like that. You know,
I love it. Do you remember when you made that
vote in the election, Like what it felt like to you.
Did you have any strong feelings about it that you
had finally done something kind of cool. It was in
(03:21):
the eighties and I was, you know, a big part
of the gay community, and AIDS was just starting to
rip through our community, and it's when our sort of fun,
loving gays were on the outside of everything, nothing, we
don't belong anywhere. We all had to come together and say, no,
we need to get our government to acknowledge this plague
(03:46):
that's killing us. And so there was a big, strong
movement back then, and we've gone through those Reagan years
and I remember thinking, yeah, this, this is important, this
is us coming together. So yeah, I do, I do
remember it now. You, of course have presumably voted in
many presidential elections since then, but I'm wondering if you
also make sure that you hit your local elections that
(04:08):
happen more frequently. Absolutely, over the years, I have learned
just how important it is that all politics are local,
from the school board, you know, on up you know,
to through the city council's all the way up through
you know, your local representatives and your state houses too,
(04:29):
then the national representatives. But it's just it's so important
each of those votes, and I know that you know,
they count on some of us, not you know, ever
come turning out unless it's a presidential vote. So it's
really important to vote every election. What do you do
to make sure you're informed for those local elections because
it's usually a little bit harder to get information about
(04:49):
those candidates than it would be for one of the
big four year events. Yeah. Here in l A. I
used to read the l A Reader and the l
A Weekly. They used to really have great, you know, editorials,
and they were very progressive. So whoever they endorsed, I
would take that list and go. But now you know
that really doesn't exist. So I follow, you know, certain
(05:11):
websites and stuff where you can really at this point,
I'm so involved with local politics that that I just
know I actually know the people. At this point, you
can get involved with local politics by supporting your local politicians, yes, exactly.
One of the things that we've talked about with a
lot of our guests is the fact that some voters
feel a little bit apathetic about casting their vote, either
(05:33):
because they feel like none of the candidates really are
what they want, or that they think the election is
already pretty much decided. Everybody knows how it's going to go.
But I would like to get your take on why
it is still important to get out there and cast
that vote, because it doesn't work otherwise. Yes, it seems
like you're one little drop in an ocean, but you're
(05:55):
part of that ocean, and it's the reason that democracy works,
that majority works, that to either look at the candidates
and find the one that at least is leaning toward
the direction that you feel your community or yourself needs
(06:18):
to go, or get involved yourself. I've seen that happen
so many times with people like I don't see a
candidate that represents me, I'm gonna run And those are
my favorite kind of candidates. That that happened. You know
that the last four years, that's really been happening now,
and so that's exciting. And you just have to you
have to believe. You have to understand that, yes, you're
(06:38):
one in a billions of people, but we are all connected.
And that's how it all works is when we all
gather together and feel that power of the people. There
are forces who are counting on you believing that your
vote doesn't matter. You know that you can't become part
of that. You have to understand that the people's will
(07:00):
is the way this whole thing works, and that's the
way it's set up. I love it. We are living
in a very strange time. Obviously has been a surreal
year for pretty much everybody, so it's changed the way
people vote. Obviously, more people will hopefully be able to
mail in their vote. But I wonder if it were
a normal year, is your preference to mail in your
(07:21):
vote or vote early or do you like to go
day of? I love to go day of. We have
a nice place where we vote here where I live.
We have a nice little city hall. It's a cute
little town I live in, so I really enjoy showing
up and seeing everybody and being here. I am, but
I do travel a lot, and when I am not
in my town, I will definitely vote my mail. Do
(07:43):
you have any rituals around voting? Do you like to
watch the whole thing unfold over the course of election day?
Do you like to stay away from it? Do you
have any like activities that you make sure to do
that day as a form of good luck? What is
that day play out like for you? Well, I used
to love to watch it all day long until about
four years ago, when it's been rough the last four years.
(08:04):
I'm very interested and I'd love to follow politics as
long as I can keep my heart up and okay,
yeah that's the trick. If you could tell someone out there,
because you are Melissa Ethrid's you have a lot of
sway and you are a leader in many regards and
an activist. So if you can tell someone who maybe
isn't using their right to vote to be that voice,
(08:25):
that part of the ocean, what would the one thing
be that you would want to tell them? Ah, there
is no one that is insignificant, and there is no
one that doesn't matter. This whole world has always changed
and been built on small groups of people getting together
and creating change. That's the way it happens. That's the
(08:46):
way it's done. To change. All the power that you
have inside of you, if you can change it. From
I am insignificant, I don't matter. Two, I am one
of a greater whole, and I do adder. Not only
will that serve your community, but it serves you. It
serves you and your health and your mental state. It's
(09:08):
good to know that you are part of a community,
that your voice matters. You love it. There, you have
it direct from the voice of Melissa Ethrid. Your vote matters. Melissa,
thank you so much for joining me today. This has
been a real treat for me. It's my pleasure. Thank
you so much for all that you do. Hey, are
(09:29):
you not registered to vote yet? But you think it's
something you want to do, you may still have time.
Voter registration deadlines vary by state, so to find out
the scoop for where you are, check out a nonpartisan
registration voting site like head count dot org or fair
vote dot org. Why I'm Voting is an I Heart
Radio production. For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit
(09:50):
the i Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever it
is you listen to your favorite shows
Welcome to Why I'm Voting, a production of I Heart Radio. Listen.
You already know this, but it's an election year. You
might already be tired of hearing about it. But here's
the thing. Democracy doesn't work without you. I'm Holly Frying,
and I'm sitting down with many of my fellow podcasters,
from Will Ferrell to Stephanie Rule, as well as other
(00:26):
luminaries to find out about their relationships with the ballot
box and ultimately just to find out why they vote.
I hope you're exercising your right to vote, and if
you're not, I hope that their stories inspire you. Welcome
to Why I'm Voting Today. I am joined by the
(00:47):
legendary singer songwriter Melissa Ethridge. You know her from her
body of work, which is significant, but also she's got
some new projects going. In June, she staged the Heal
Me Concert on her website Melissa eth Ridge dot com
um from her new home studio to raise money for
the opioid crisis, and now you can actually see her
weekly on her website as part of her new initiative
(01:08):
Ethrite TV. But she is also a voter. Melissa, thank
you so much for being with me today. Oh, it's
my pleasure. Anytime I can talk about this and get
people out there to vote, I'm all for that. I
love it. I will ask you first if you can
recall when you first learned about voting and that you
were going to be a participant in this grand experiment
of democracy. Well, I grew up in Kansas, you know,
(01:31):
right in the middle of the country, and my father
was a Republican and my mother was a Democrat. I know,
it was funny because this is in the sixties and seventies,
when my mother came from sort of that southern Democrat
and my father came from the the labor you know unions,
you know, working man Republican back when they was like
(01:53):
that back then. And I used to watch each of them.
They were very interested and involved and they always voted.
And I remember watching the Democratic convention with Humphrey and
then I watched the Republican conventions with Nixon, and I
just was kind of raised both ways, and I was
just fascinated. My father also taught American government in high school,
(02:17):
so I learned, you know a little bit about American government,
how it worked. So I had that sort of nice
solid Foundation and then but I didn't think. I didn't
know how to register. I didn't know how to do anything.
I went after college and was like votings for other people,
you know. And when I finally got to Long Beach, California,
when I was about twenty one twenty three, I started
(02:37):
to get involved with There's a strong women's community there
and they were very politically active. And I remember in
the bars women going around saying, are you registered to vote?
And they came and registered me and said this is
how you do it. And my first vote was for
du Caucus. You know, yeah, Michael de Caucus. Yeah, yeah,
(03:00):
that's so cool that you got registered in a bar.
I kind of love that. Hey, they knew where to
go get the you know, that was the only place
that the women sort of gathered like that. You know,
I love it. Do you remember when you made that
vote in the election, Like what it felt like to you.
Did you have any strong feelings about it that you
had finally done something kind of cool. It was in
(03:21):
the eighties and I was, you know, a big part
of the gay community, and AIDS was just starting to
rip through our community, and it's when our sort of fun,
loving gays were on the outside of everything, nothing, we
don't belong anywhere. We all had to come together and say, no,
we need to get our government to acknowledge this plague
(03:46):
that's killing us. And so there was a big, strong
movement back then, and we've gone through those Reagan years
and I remember thinking, yeah, this, this is important, this
is us coming together. So yeah, I do, I do
remember it now. You, of course have presumably voted in
many presidential elections since then, but I'm wondering if you
also make sure that you hit your local elections that
(04:08):
happen more frequently. Absolutely, over the years, I have learned
just how important it is that all politics are local,
from the school board, you know, on up you know,
to through the city council's all the way up through
you know, your local representatives and your state houses too,
(04:29):
then the national representatives. But it's just it's so important
each of those votes, and I know that you know,
they count on some of us, not you know, ever
come turning out unless it's a presidential vote. So it's
really important to vote every election. What do you do
to make sure you're informed for those local elections because
it's usually a little bit harder to get information about
(04:49):
those candidates than it would be for one of the
big four year events. Yeah. Here in l A. I
used to read the l A Reader and the l
A Weekly. They used to really have great, you know, editorials,
and they were very progressive. So whoever they endorsed, I
would take that list and go. But now you know
that really doesn't exist. So I follow, you know, certain
(05:11):
websites and stuff where you can really at this point,
I'm so involved with local politics that that I just
know I actually know the people. At this point, you
can get involved with local politics by supporting your local politicians, yes, exactly.
One of the things that we've talked about with a
lot of our guests is the fact that some voters
feel a little bit apathetic about casting their vote, either
(05:33):
because they feel like none of the candidates really are
what they want, or that they think the election is
already pretty much decided. Everybody knows how it's going to go.
But I would like to get your take on why
it is still important to get out there and cast
that vote, because it doesn't work otherwise. Yes, it seems
like you're one little drop in an ocean, but you're
(05:55):
part of that ocean, and it's the reason that democracy works,
that majority works, that to either look at the candidates
and find the one that at least is leaning toward
the direction that you feel your community or yourself needs
(06:18):
to go, or get involved yourself. I've seen that happen
so many times with people like I don't see a
candidate that represents me, I'm gonna run And those are
my favorite kind of candidates. That that happened. You know
that the last four years, that's really been happening now,
and so that's exciting. And you just have to you
have to believe. You have to understand that, yes, you're
(06:38):
one in a billions of people, but we are all connected.
And that's how it all works is when we all
gather together and feel that power of the people. There
are forces who are counting on you believing that your
vote doesn't matter. You know that you can't become part
of that. You have to understand that the people's will
(07:00):
is the way this whole thing works, and that's the
way it's set up. I love it. We are living
in a very strange time. Obviously has been a surreal
year for pretty much everybody, so it's changed the way
people vote. Obviously, more people will hopefully be able to
mail in their vote. But I wonder if it were
a normal year, is your preference to mail in your
(07:21):
vote or vote early or do you like to go
day of? I love to go day of. We have
a nice place where we vote here where I live.
We have a nice little city hall. It's a cute
little town I live in, so I really enjoy showing
up and seeing everybody and being here. I am, but
I do travel a lot, and when I am not
in my town, I will definitely vote my mail. Do
(07:43):
you have any rituals around voting? Do you like to
watch the whole thing unfold over the course of election day?
Do you like to stay away from it? Do you
have any like activities that you make sure to do
that day as a form of good luck? What is
that day play out like for you? Well, I used
to love to watch it all day long until about
four years ago, when it's been rough the last four years.
(08:04):
I'm very interested and I'd love to follow politics as
long as I can keep my heart up and okay,
yeah that's the trick. If you could tell someone out there,
because you are Melissa Ethrid's you have a lot of
sway and you are a leader in many regards and
an activist. So if you can tell someone who maybe
isn't using their right to vote to be that voice,
(08:25):
that part of the ocean, what would the one thing
be that you would want to tell them? Ah, there
is no one that is insignificant, and there is no
one that doesn't matter. This whole world has always changed
and been built on small groups of people getting together
and creating change. That's the way it happens. That's the
(08:46):
way it's done. To change. All the power that you
have inside of you, if you can change it. From
I am insignificant, I don't matter. Two, I am one
of a greater whole, and I do adder. Not only
will that serve your community, but it serves you. It
serves you and your health and your mental state. It's
(09:08):
good to know that you are part of a community,
that your voice matters. You love it. There, you have
it direct from the voice of Melissa Ethrid. Your vote matters. Melissa,
thank you so much for joining me today. This has
been a real treat for me. It's my pleasure. Thank
you so much for all that you do. Hey, are
(09:29):
you not registered to vote yet? But you think it's
something you want to do, you may still have time.
Voter registration deadlines vary by state, so to find out
the scoop for where you are, check out a nonpartisan
registration voting site like head count dot org or fair
vote dot org. Why I'm Voting is an I Heart
Radio production. For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit
(09:50):
the i Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever it
is you listen to your favorite shows
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