August 10, 2020 • 10 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 fearing 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 luminaries,
(00:27):
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 inspired you. Today. I am
extraordinarily fortunate because I'm joined by the luminary Will Ferrell.
(00:50):
If you live under a rock, you might not know
who he is, but I'm sure you do. He's a comedian, actor,
and producer. He is also the star of the spectacularly
popular Ron Burgundy podcast, and he heads up the Big
Money Players Club podcast network in partnership with I Heart Radio,
and bless him, he's spending time with me today. Welcome
(01:10):
Will Ferrell. Thank you, Oh thank you. I've I love
that I'm a luminary. I'll take it, of course, just
get that tattooed somewhere. Um, right out of the gate,
I'm going to ask you, do you remember when you
were a kid and you learned about voting and that
that was something that was on you to participate in.
(01:30):
You know, I I've I've been trying to kind of
rack my brain to see if there really was a moment.
I mean, I think there was a general sense of
elementary school civics being taught. You know, I think I
had some value set there that you know, it was logical,
oh yeah, all this doesn't work if we don't vote.
(01:51):
Probably what was instilled more with me was growing up
in a in a single parent household with a with
a strong educator mother who was always kind of talking,
you know, in progressive ways and making sure we knew
that when that time came, it was very important to
(02:12):
follow through on on what if you think about it
is a pretty simple thing to do one time every
couple of years, every four years, or whenever it whenever
it pops up. Yeah, I think I think it was.
It was mostly mostly at home with my mom, you know,
laying that groundwork. I love that you grew up with
an educators for sure. YEA does that mean that she
(02:33):
made sure that you registered right away when you turned
eight team? I was eight team my entire senior year
of high school. So I don't think she had I
think I think it was just something we knew we
had to do. Yeah, I'm sure she she fostered that,
for sure, But I think I was just excited that
I was a senior in high school and I was
getting able to vote. Yeah. I don't know what that.
I mean. She obviously held me back, uh when I
(02:58):
was little. Uh So I don't know what that says
about um, but thank god you did. Uh, I'll just
say that. But yeah, So I graduated in high school
in uh nine six, so that was the year nineteen
So I don't know if there was an election that year. No,
you had two years to decide on the du Caucus
Bush election. Oh, yes, that's right. I was in college
(03:22):
for my first presidential election. In my head, there's a
cartoon ramming where you walk through the high school always
flashing your voter registration card that senior year, like it
was giving you all of the credits in a cocky way. Yeah,
you know. There was also that that selective service thing
you had to automatically sign up for, which was you know,
(03:44):
the threat of a draft if that was ever going
to happen. And so I'm for some reason, I'm thinking
that also registered you to vote. Maybe I'm not sure.
Do you remember voting in that election. I can't say
that I did. I mean you were in college, so
there's our be like a blur filter. Yeah, and I'm
thinking I would have been registered. I was at USC
(04:05):
in Los Angeles, and I would have been registered in Irvine,
in my hometown in Orange County. Do you now, as
a mature adult, not a college student, participate and vote
in your local elections? Yes? Yeah, We're pretty darn good
about it. Especially the polling place is literally a nice
little twenty minute walk in my neighborhood from my house,
(04:27):
so so it's actually kind of fun. So I'm pretty
good about making sure, I know, even if there's a
city election coming up, and getting to walk down through
the garage at this one person's house who very kindly
has volunteered as a polling place. Now, how do you
prepare for those elections? What do you do to research
(04:48):
more local candidates that maybe aren't getting as much obvious
coverage in the press. Well, I'll I'll kind of canvas,
you know, I'll kind of look up and see I
usually fall in line. I'll lot of times with what
you know, something like the l A. Times endorses or
um we have a lot of friends involved in politics
locally and on a national level who all consult with them,
(05:11):
or or I feel like there's like a group share
of progressive sites that are kind of recommending candidates that
you can kind of survey because it is hard, like
who knows which municipal judges to vote for, you know,
or you know, the local sheriff versus this person. You know,
It's pretty hard to get background on on some people.
(05:33):
So yeah, make sure we kind of look at a
bunch of different things and have my cheat sheet ready
when I go into the ballot box. You're the one
that always trips me up as county soil commissioner, I'm
always like, damn it, I forgot county and controller controller
one of my favorite I want to run. I just
want to run for controller one year. Just yeah, and
(05:56):
just say what's your background. I don't have any. I'm
gonna have to learn on the job, but I just
to be your comptroller. Probably when let's be honest. Could
you imagine Will Ferrell his entertainment career. Gosh, I gotta
do this for two years? Okay, well, let's get going.
He was the worst controller ever in the state history,
(06:17):
but the best story. Do you have any feelings about
elections where like that outcome is pretty much like people
think they know how it's going to go. Do you
have any strong feelings about making sure you still get
there and why that's important. I guess I'm very old
fashioned the sense of, like, yeah, I really just like
to go in person. The last time I voted was
electronically at a or on a push screen thing, which
(06:41):
was still really good and everything like that. But there, Yeah,
there's something about the ritual of being there in person.
You know that's going to be slightly augmented this year
with you know, unfortunately we have to monitor what the
health crisis is like wherever we live and however you
feel about that. But yeah, I love the ritual of
marking your your ballot and turning it in and getting
(07:02):
the little receipt and getting the sticker and yeah, it's
just it just feels very patriotic. It's a shame that
in this day and age it with such relatively speaking,
low voter turnout that it almost feels like you're you're
working for the Peace Corps, something you're doing like this
amazing thing, when it's really so simple. But yeah, it's
never been more important, and I'm afraid it's it's just
(07:24):
gonna become vital with each election. You mentioned rituals. Do
you have any other rituals around election day? Do you
like to watch the results come in at home? Do
you like to go out with friends? Do you have
outfits you like to prep well? I wear my I
voted sticker for as long as I possibly can. I'll
even wear it until the next day, just to mess
(07:45):
with people because it's for It drives some people crazy,
like why do you slug your sticker on? I just
do it to be a contrarian. So I like doing that.
And then typically I like to watch or the early
returns come in. But the last presidential election, I'm also
a bit superstitious. So the last presidential election, the candidate
(08:07):
that I wanted it didn't work out that well, so
maybe I'll switch it up and watch later. I'm not sure.
You mentioned low voter turnout, and I'm glad you did
because if you, luminary will very who clearly has a
lot of influence as a county controller, if you could
talk to someone who is not using their right to
vote and just tell them one thing in the hopes
of inspiring them to get out there and do this
(08:29):
one simple but important thing. What would you tell them? Gosh,
I mean, one of the things that was a little
bit disheartening. We went out to canvas for Hillary in
and we went to the state in North Carolina, which
I have ties to from my family, and a group
of us went out and we did a bunch of
(08:49):
things in Raleigh and Raleigh Durham area, and it was
really just an amazing day. But when we started talking
to some of the boots on the ground people that
the thing that was a little bit foreboding was that
they were talking to young women of college age, and
a lot of the reaction they were getting was, Oh,
(09:13):
Hillary is either gonna win, so I don't need to vote,
or I'm gonna see a woman president in my lifetime
and I'm not necessarily on her side, so I don't
need to vote now. It will eventually happen, and it didn't.
And so I would just point to regardless of who
your candidate is and who your beliefs line up with,
(09:35):
you can't kind of sit back and relax and rely
on anything just to happen. It just all points to
um how important it is to literally take the time,
you know, carve that moment out of your day or
you know, whether you have to do it early voting
or assent or whatever. It's just it's a very small
(09:56):
thing in a way, they can have massive ramifications and
that's what we have to always keep in mind. Well, Farrell,
you are a peach. Thank you so much. Oh my pleasure.
Hey are 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
(10:19):
find out the scoop for where you are, check out
a nonpartisan registration voting site like edcount 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 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 fearing 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 luminaries,
(00:27):
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 inspired you. Today. I am
extraordinarily fortunate because I'm joined by the luminary Will Ferrell.
(00:50):
If you live under a rock, you might not know
who he is, but I'm sure you do. He's a comedian, actor,
and producer. He is also the star of the spectacularly
popular Ron Burgundy podcast, and he heads up the Big
Money Players Club podcast network in partnership with I Heart Radio,
and bless him, he's spending time with me today. Welcome
(01:10):
Will Ferrell. Thank you, Oh thank you. I've I love
that I'm a luminary. I'll take it, of course, just
get that tattooed somewhere. Um, right out of the gate,
I'm going to ask you, do you remember when you
were a kid and you learned about voting and that
that was something that was on you to participate in.
(01:30):
You know, I I've I've been trying to kind of
rack my brain to see if there really was a moment.
I mean, I think there was a general sense of
elementary school civics being taught. You know, I think I
had some value set there that you know, it was logical,
oh yeah, all this doesn't work if we don't vote.
(01:51):
Probably what was instilled more with me was growing up
in a in a single parent household with a with
a strong educator mother who was always kind of talking,
you know, in progressive ways and making sure we knew
that when that time came, it was very important to
(02:12):
follow through on on what if you think about it
is a pretty simple thing to do one time every
couple of years, every four years, or whenever it whenever
it pops up. Yeah, I think I think it was.
It was mostly mostly at home with my mom, you know,
laying that groundwork. I love that you grew up with
an educators for sure. YEA does that mean that she
(02:33):
made sure that you registered right away when you turned
eight team? I was eight team my entire senior year
of high school. So I don't think she had I
think I think it was just something we knew we
had to do. Yeah, I'm sure she she fostered that,
for sure, But I think I was just excited that
I was a senior in high school and I was
getting able to vote. Yeah. I don't know what that.
I mean. She obviously held me back, uh when I
(02:58):
was little. Uh So I don't know what that says
about um, but thank god you did. Uh, I'll just
say that. But yeah, So I graduated in high school
in uh nine six, so that was the year nineteen
So I don't know if there was an election that year. No,
you had two years to decide on the du Caucus
Bush election. Oh, yes, that's right. I was in college
(03:22):
for my first presidential election. In my head, there's a
cartoon ramming where you walk through the high school always
flashing your voter registration card that senior year, like it
was giving you all of the credits in a cocky way. Yeah,
you know. There was also that that selective service thing
you had to automatically sign up for, which was you know,
(03:44):
the threat of a draft if that was ever going
to happen. And so I'm for some reason, I'm thinking
that also registered you to vote. Maybe I'm not sure.
Do you remember voting in that election. I can't say
that I did. I mean you were in college, so
there's our be like a blur filter. Yeah, and I'm
thinking I would have been registered. I was at USC
(04:05):
in Los Angeles, and I would have been registered in Irvine,
in my hometown in Orange County. Do you now, as
a mature adult, not a college student, participate and vote
in your local elections? Yes? Yeah, We're pretty darn good
about it. Especially the polling place is literally a nice
little twenty minute walk in my neighborhood from my house,
(04:27):
so so it's actually kind of fun. So I'm pretty
good about making sure, I know, even if there's a
city election coming up, and getting to walk down through
the garage at this one person's house who very kindly
has volunteered as a polling place. Now, how do you
prepare for those elections? What do you do to research
(04:48):
more local candidates that maybe aren't getting as much obvious
coverage in the press. Well, I'll I'll kind of canvas,
you know, I'll kind of look up and see I
usually fall in line. I'll lot of times with what
you know, something like the l A. Times endorses or
um we have a lot of friends involved in politics
locally and on a national level who all consult with them,
(05:11):
or or I feel like there's like a group share
of progressive sites that are kind of recommending candidates that
you can kind of survey because it is hard, like
who knows which municipal judges to vote for, you know,
or you know, the local sheriff versus this person. You know,
It's pretty hard to get background on on some people.
(05:33):
So yeah, make sure we kind of look at a
bunch of different things and have my cheat sheet ready
when I go into the ballot box. You're the one
that always trips me up as county soil commissioner, I'm
always like, damn it, I forgot county and controller controller
one of my favorite I want to run. I just
want to run for controller one year. Just yeah, and
(05:56):
just say what's your background. I don't have any. I'm
gonna have to learn on the job, but I just
to be your comptroller. Probably when let's be honest. Could
you imagine Will Ferrell his entertainment career. Gosh, I gotta
do this for two years? Okay, well, let's get going.
He was the worst controller ever in the state history,
(06:17):
but the best story. Do you have any feelings about
elections where like that outcome is pretty much like people
think they know how it's going to go. Do you
have any strong feelings about making sure you still get
there and why that's important. I guess I'm very old
fashioned the sense of, like, yeah, I really just like
to go in person. The last time I voted was
electronically at a or on a push screen thing, which
(06:41):
was still really good and everything like that. But there, Yeah,
there's something about the ritual of being there in person.
You know that's going to be slightly augmented this year
with you know, unfortunately we have to monitor what the
health crisis is like wherever we live and however you
feel about that. But yeah, I love the ritual of
marking your your ballot and turning it in and getting
(07:02):
the little receipt and getting the sticker and yeah, it's
just it just feels very patriotic. It's a shame that
in this day and age it with such relatively speaking,
low voter turnout that it almost feels like you're you're
working for the Peace Corps, something you're doing like this
amazing thing, when it's really so simple. But yeah, it's
never been more important, and I'm afraid it's it's just
(07:24):
gonna become vital with each election. You mentioned rituals. Do
you have any other rituals around election day? Do you
like to watch the results come in at home? Do
you like to go out with friends? Do you have
outfits you like to prep well? I wear my I
voted sticker for as long as I possibly can. I'll
even wear it until the next day, just to mess
(07:45):
with people because it's for It drives some people crazy,
like why do you slug your sticker on? I just
do it to be a contrarian. So I like doing that.
And then typically I like to watch or the early
returns come in. But the last presidential election, I'm also
a bit superstitious. So the last presidential election, the candidate
(08:07):
that I wanted it didn't work out that well, so
maybe I'll switch it up and watch later. I'm not sure.
You mentioned low voter turnout, and I'm glad you did
because if you, luminary will very who clearly has a
lot of influence as a county controller, if you could
talk to someone who is not using their right to
vote and just tell them one thing in the hopes
of inspiring them to get out there and do this
(08:29):
one simple but important thing. What would you tell them? Gosh,
I mean, one of the things that was a little
bit disheartening. We went out to canvas for Hillary in
and we went to the state in North Carolina, which
I have ties to from my family, and a group
of us went out and we did a bunch of
(08:49):
things in Raleigh and Raleigh Durham area, and it was
really just an amazing day. But when we started talking
to some of the boots on the ground people that
the thing that was a little bit foreboding was that
they were talking to young women of college age, and
a lot of the reaction they were getting was, Oh,
(09:13):
Hillary is either gonna win, so I don't need to vote,
or I'm gonna see a woman president in my lifetime
and I'm not necessarily on her side, so I don't
need to vote now. It will eventually happen, and it didn't.
And so I would just point to regardless of who
your candidate is and who your beliefs line up with,
(09:35):
you can't kind of sit back and relax and rely
on anything just to happen. It just all points to
um how important it is to literally take the time,
you know, carve that moment out of your day or
you know, whether you have to do it early voting
or assent or whatever. It's just it's a very small
(09:56):
thing in a way, they can have massive ramifications and
that's what we have to always keep in mind. Well, Farrell,
you are a peach. Thank you so much. Oh my pleasure.
Hey are 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
(10:19):
find out the scoop for where you are, check out
a nonpartisan registration voting site like edcount 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 the i Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
it is you listen to your favorite shows.
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