October 26, 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 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 today's episode of Why I'm Voting. I'm very excited
(00:49):
today because we have a guest with a unique perspective
on this whole situation. I am joined today by Anna Yerka.
She is the co host of Titulares Imas on Telemundo Sports.
She's also an anchor for special sports programming. She's also
incredibly gracious to shake this time to be with me today,
So I'm a welcome. First of all, no, thank you,
thank you for having me and for that really nice presentation.
(01:13):
You are a first time voter, this election. Correct, Yes, yes,
finally I get to use that privilege. Yes. So will
you tell us a little bit about your life and
getting to this point and why this is your first election. Well,
I moved to the state almost eight years ago or
nine years ago. I lost count. But when I moved here,
(01:36):
I didn't realize how important was to be able to vote,
because in my country, you get to vote just for
president or the mayor of every city, but you don't
get you know, governors, representatives like all that system. We
don't have it. So whenever I moved here, I couldn't
(01:59):
vote at the at the beginning because I was just
a permanent resident when I moved here. And then by
the time the last election was going on, I decided
not to go and get my citizenship and everything because
I was like, you know what, I don't like any
of them, Like I don't like Hillary, I don't like
(02:20):
Donald Trump. So you know what, it's not a big deal.
In my head now I am bumping. I'm like, why
didn't you do this? Good? Like I I looked back,
and I'm like, man, I was so immature, I was
so irresponsible. I was so stupid for not doing it.
And it's not about who won or whatever, because I'm
(02:43):
not a Democrat nor Republican. But it was because of ignorance,
because I didn't know that I could actually make a
difference not only for a president but for every governor.
And whenever the elections were going on and I was
watching the whole thing live on TV, I was like,
how the heck did I didn't go and voted. So
(03:06):
now it's like it's my number one priority this year. Well,
but I think that's great one. It's good to just
own that, like, you know, you aren't always necessarily happy
with choices you've made in the past, and going forward,
you are, you know, completely committed to this whole thing. Also,
congratulations on becoming a US citizen. We are so thrilled
(03:27):
to have you. Think I want to ask, since this
is presumably the first big election that you'll be participating in,
what is your excitement level on like a scale of
one to ten. Oh my gosh, this is like I'm
really into sports, So this is kind of like a
World Cup final. Make no mistake, I know it's every
election isn't born, but I feel like this one in
(03:49):
particular is like top of the top. It's like a
combination of a World Cup final with a Super Bowl
and Olympics at the same time. It's like the magnitude
of of this election is incredible. So I'm very, very
excited to participate. Do you have any expectations about how
(04:11):
you will feel casting your first ballot? Are you nervous
at all? Do you have any like hopes of how
it will go in terms of just the process itself.
What are your thoughts about all of that. I'm nervous.
I'm nervous because there's a lot of division in the
country this year. You have so much information, but it's
more about how much misinformation going on, Like every person
(04:37):
has their own agenda, so you don't even know what
to believe. So the homework to get to choose for
either candidate, I think it's the level is if we're extreme,
it's even more, you know, like we need to do
our homework and investigate every single candidate, and because of
the misinformation, it's even harder this year. So yeah, I'm
(05:02):
really nervous about that. Now, would you share with us
your research process since this is a completely new project
for you, essentially, like how are you researching all of
your candidates, particularly as it gets down to local elections
where they aren't getting the same level of exposure. How
are you making sure you're picking the people that fit
your desires your ideology. Yeah, that's the hard part, you know,
(05:24):
like the local because those are like a lot of names.
You don't even know them because you don't get to
see them on TV every single time, whether they don't
have money for ads, Like you really have to do
your homework. So I don't know if I'm a nerd
or what, or if I'm too into details. But since
I like sports, then I'm very into statistics, like what
(05:47):
did this person do in the past, Like if they
approved something, what did they approve and why? What was
the argument? And you know how sometimes they say, oh,
this person approved this thing and you're like, whoa, what
happened there? Why did he do that? But at the
same time, in that same document, there were older things too,
(06:11):
so they were maybe voting for this for a but
not for being you know, Like that's where it gets complicated.
But into my nerd the nerds side of me, I
get to investigate even deeper, and that's when it's hard.
But at the same time, I don't know, it's exciting
it's like when you're looking for statistics in sports kind of.
(06:33):
I love that analogy. I think it's a great way
to approach it. So what are you gonna do a
mailing vote? Are you going to vote earlier? Are you
planning to go day of and get the full voting experience?
Oh no, no, no, no, no, I'm gonna go. I'm
gonna do that. I'm gonna make that line I've been
waiting for these four years. I'm gonna go the whole
(06:55):
nine yards. No, no, no no, no, no, I'm gonna I'm
gonna get up early. I'm gonna getting a comfortable but
really who outfit? You know, Like I'm gonna like, I
want my sticker, and I want my I voted sticker,
And if I get early, maybe I get a cool pin.
I don't know, but I want to experience the whole thing,
(07:16):
you know, Like, I don't know if I trust the
male system that much. I don't know. Maybe it's because
I'm from Honduras. That's a very very corrupt country and
our government is is that disaster. So I don't know.
I have my thing with male system. I'd rather go
in person. Now, do you have any plans to celebrate
(07:39):
because this is momentous. What are you gonna do after
you vote? Oh, in my house, it's a whole party
like it was the last time, and it's gonna be
this one too. Like we're always getting to the debate
like we always have. Like whenever there's debates going on
or right now, the conventions were always there watching and
(08:00):
they're taking notes. So I don't forget. So whenever I
have my own debate with my family, I have my
notes ready, um and now, yeah, whatever happens, I'm gonna
be there celebrating just because of the fact that we
got to choose. And it's like in life, sometimes you win,
sometimes you lose. I don't know if my candidate it's
(08:23):
gonna win, but even if they lose, then I'll be
able to say, you know what, I was there and
I participated and I was part of it, so we lost. Whatever,
Onto the next one. For my last question, I feel
like you have a unique perspective because you are someone
that opted out of voting last time, but this time
you are motivated to do it. So if you were
(08:46):
to talk to someone who is kind of in the
same position where they're like, I don't know that I'm
going to do all the paperwork, all of the prep work.
What would you tell them to try to like make
clear to them how important it is that they get
out and vote. You know what, that's one of the
only unique, unique privileges we have us US citizens. So
if you have that, and every time you have a privilege,
(09:10):
you have a responsibility. So I would really tell them, like, hey, go,
you will regret it if you don't do it. You
have to do it. An you are so infectious with
your enthusiasm. You make me want to go vote today.
I love it. Thank you for having me, and thank
you for doing this, because the more we spread the word,
(09:30):
the better is gonna be. 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 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.
(09:53):
Why I'm Voting is an I Heart Radio production. For
more podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit the i Heart
Radio app, Apple pud Tasks, 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 today's episode of Why I'm Voting. I'm very excited
(00:49):
today because we have a guest with a unique perspective
on this whole situation. I am joined today by Anna Yerka.
She is the co host of Titulares Imas on Telemundo Sports.
She's also an anchor for special sports programming. She's also
incredibly gracious to shake this time to be with me today,
So I'm a welcome. First of all, no, thank you,
thank you for having me and for that really nice presentation.
(01:13):
You are a first time voter, this election. Correct, Yes, yes,
finally I get to use that privilege. Yes. So will
you tell us a little bit about your life and
getting to this point and why this is your first election. Well,
I moved to the state almost eight years ago or
nine years ago. I lost count. But when I moved here,
(01:36):
I didn't realize how important was to be able to vote,
because in my country, you get to vote just for
president or the mayor of every city, but you don't
get you know, governors, representatives like all that system. We
don't have it. So whenever I moved here, I couldn't
(01:59):
vote at the at the beginning because I was just
a permanent resident when I moved here. And then by
the time the last election was going on, I decided
not to go and get my citizenship and everything because
I was like, you know what, I don't like any
of them, Like I don't like Hillary, I don't like
(02:20):
Donald Trump. So you know what, it's not a big deal.
In my head now I am bumping. I'm like, why
didn't you do this? Good? Like I I looked back,
and I'm like, man, I was so immature, I was
so irresponsible. I was so stupid for not doing it.
And it's not about who won or whatever, because I'm
(02:43):
not a Democrat nor Republican. But it was because of ignorance,
because I didn't know that I could actually make a
difference not only for a president but for every governor.
And whenever the elections were going on and I was
watching the whole thing live on TV, I was like,
how the heck did I didn't go and voted. So
(03:06):
now it's like it's my number one priority this year. Well,
but I think that's great one. It's good to just
own that, like, you know, you aren't always necessarily happy
with choices you've made in the past, and going forward,
you are, you know, completely committed to this whole thing. Also,
congratulations on becoming a US citizen. We are so thrilled
(03:27):
to have you. Think I want to ask, since this
is presumably the first big election that you'll be participating in,
what is your excitement level on like a scale of
one to ten. Oh my gosh, this is like I'm
really into sports, So this is kind of like a
World Cup final. Make no mistake, I know it's every
election isn't born, but I feel like this one in
(03:49):
particular is like top of the top. It's like a
combination of a World Cup final with a Super Bowl
and Olympics at the same time. It's like the magnitude
of of this election is incredible. So I'm very, very
excited to participate. Do you have any expectations about how
(04:11):
you will feel casting your first ballot? Are you nervous
at all? Do you have any like hopes of how
it will go in terms of just the process itself.
What are your thoughts about all of that. I'm nervous.
I'm nervous because there's a lot of division in the
country this year. You have so much information, but it's
more about how much misinformation going on, Like every person
(04:37):
has their own agenda, so you don't even know what
to believe. So the homework to get to choose for
either candidate, I think it's the level is if we're extreme,
it's even more, you know, like we need to do
our homework and investigate every single candidate, and because of
the misinformation, it's even harder this year. So yeah, I'm
(05:02):
really nervous about that. Now, would you share with us
your research process since this is a completely new project
for you, essentially, like how are you researching all of
your candidates, particularly as it gets down to local elections
where they aren't getting the same level of exposure. How
are you making sure you're picking the people that fit
your desires your ideology. Yeah, that's the hard part, you know,
(05:24):
like the local because those are like a lot of names.
You don't even know them because you don't get to
see them on TV every single time, whether they don't
have money for ads, Like you really have to do
your homework. So I don't know if I'm a nerd
or what, or if I'm too into details. But since
I like sports, then I'm very into statistics, like what
(05:47):
did this person do in the past, Like if they
approved something, what did they approve and why? What was
the argument? And you know how sometimes they say, oh,
this person approved this thing and you're like, whoa, what
happened there? Why did he do that? But at the
same time, in that same document, there were older things too,
(06:11):
so they were maybe voting for this for a but
not for being you know, Like that's where it gets complicated.
But into my nerd the nerds side of me, I
get to investigate even deeper, and that's when it's hard.
But at the same time, I don't know, it's exciting
it's like when you're looking for statistics in sports kind of.
(06:33):
I love that analogy. I think it's a great way
to approach it. So what are you gonna do a
mailing vote? Are you going to vote earlier? Are you
planning to go day of and get the full voting experience?
Oh no, no, no, no, no, I'm gonna go. I'm
gonna do that. I'm gonna make that line I've been
waiting for these four years. I'm gonna go the whole
(06:55):
nine yards. No, no, no no, no, no, I'm gonna I'm
gonna get up early. I'm gonna getting a comfortable but
really who outfit? You know, Like I'm gonna like, I
want my sticker, and I want my I voted sticker,
And if I get early, maybe I get a cool pin.
I don't know, but I want to experience the whole thing,
(07:16):
you know, Like, I don't know if I trust the
male system that much. I don't know. Maybe it's because
I'm from Honduras. That's a very very corrupt country and
our government is is that disaster. So I don't know.
I have my thing with male system. I'd rather go
in person. Now, do you have any plans to celebrate
(07:39):
because this is momentous. What are you gonna do after
you vote? Oh, in my house, it's a whole party
like it was the last time, and it's gonna be
this one too. Like we're always getting to the debate
like we always have. Like whenever there's debates going on
or right now, the conventions were always there watching and
(08:00):
they're taking notes. So I don't forget. So whenever I
have my own debate with my family, I have my
notes ready, um and now, yeah, whatever happens, I'm gonna
be there celebrating just because of the fact that we
got to choose. And it's like in life, sometimes you win,
sometimes you lose. I don't know if my candidate it's
(08:23):
gonna win, but even if they lose, then I'll be
able to say, you know what, I was there and
I participated and I was part of it, so we lost. Whatever,
Onto the next one. For my last question, I feel
like you have a unique perspective because you are someone
that opted out of voting last time, but this time
you are motivated to do it. So if you were
(08:46):
to talk to someone who is kind of in the
same position where they're like, I don't know that I'm
going to do all the paperwork, all of the prep work.
What would you tell them to try to like make
clear to them how important it is that they get
out and vote. You know what, that's one of the
only unique, unique privileges we have us US citizens. So
if you have that, and every time you have a privilege,
(09:10):
you have a responsibility. So I would really tell them, like, hey, go,
you will regret it if you don't do it. You
have to do it. An you are so infectious with
your enthusiasm. You make me want to go vote today.
I love it. Thank you for having me, and thank
you for doing this, because the more we spread the word,
(09:30):
the better is gonna be. 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 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.
(09:53):
Why I'm Voting is an I Heart Radio production. For
more podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit the i Heart
Radio app, Apple pud Tasks, or wherever it is you
listen to your favorite shows
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