Does My Vote Count?
Emily L Karlsson
90 minutes | 2021
Using only iPhones, a. filmmaker and her team travel the U.S. during a worldwide pandemic, a crumbling economy, and civil unrest to find answers. Whose vote really matters, and can we change the course of history?
Sponsored by:
Friday Harbor Film Festival
Our story follows voters, candidates hoping to make a difference, and activists while they fight for disabled, veteran, immigrant, and Native American voter rights, as well as tackle the deep-seated issue of the black disenfranchised voter.
We document the highs and lows of these important people as they passionately fight to have every vote count in an uncharted time and historic election.
In the aftermath of Biden’s victory, we explore how that happened. Who fought to have votes counted in areas where they hadn't before? Who succeeded in doing so, and who failed?
The 2020 presidential election meant an election where we would have to adapt to vote safely in the middle of a pandemic. It meant voting during a time where the president of the United States told citizens their votes would not be counted and there would be mass fraud at the voting booths.
It also meant that like never before there were people working tirelessly behind the scenes and on the front lines to help ensure this election was fair and that everyone who wanted to vote could.
Does My Vote Count chronicles our journey across eight states to chat with these sometimes unlikely individuals, who in the darkest hour of our American dream, stood up and said, “Our vote counts, and our voices will be heard.”
Emily L Karlsson
Director Biography - Emily L Karlsson
Emily Karlsson studied theater and dramatic arts at Central St. Martins College of Art and Design in London and then went on to study at the American Conservatory Theater of San Francisco.
She moved behind the camera to study screenwriting at UCLA extension and Media Arts at Santa Monica College. Emily’s first work behind the camera was as producer/assistant director for “Finding Benny”, which was a documentary about special needs actors living in Los Angeles with the goal of promoting their talents and hiring them to represent their community.
In 2015 she worked as a field producer for the Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles, where she secured in-house footage for the Olympics. In 2019 she was invited to take part in the Women Excel project with Creative Visions and directed her first documentary short I Am America, I Am an Immigrant. The film explored the work of a legal team in California, The Immigration Center for Women and Children (ICWIC). The film covers immigrants who have been through the worst type of abuse and hardship as they apply for humanitarian visas to become citizens of the United States. Because of the film’s screening, a 15K grant was given to ICWIC to help their cause.
Today Emily is completing her bachelor's degree at UCLA in the film program with an emphasis on documentary. She wants to create content that gives a voice to the underserved and undervalued communities, changing the narrative to focus on how it is our differences that connect us all.
CREDITS
Director
Emily L Karlsson
I am America, I am an Immigrant
Producer
Diane Foster
I am America, I am an Immigrant.
Producer
Max Lichtig
Editor
Nancy Foster
Fostermedia LLC
As we all began to emerge from the four years of Trump as our president, one thing weighed heavy on my mind. I could not in good conscience stay in California and cast my ballot again in a state that felt it wouldn’t hold weight— I had to find answers. Could I move to a swing state and register to vote in the 2020 election?
As the pandemic took hold more important questions surfaced. How would my friends at home with a disability cast their ballot safely in this important election? Are my friends with Down syndrome and autism permitted to vote? What about Dr. Brenda Williams, who I had heard would go into jails and register inmates to vote in the deep south - could that exist during a pandemic? What about important swing states that were home to so many Native American voters - Do they turn out to vote? In the fall of 2020, I set out to explore and witness voting rights with my own eyes. When we examine the voting experience of a specific culture or population we often neglect to consider how it influences the collective American experience. We need to amplify these voices that are often ignored and even suppressed.
Change is inevitable. Our actions will indicate the course our history will take; by learning one another’s stories we can work together to make positive change in this country.
The 2020 presidential election meant an election where we would have to adapt to vote safely in the middle of a pandemic. It meant voting during a time where the president of the United States told citizens that their votes would not be counted and there would be mass fraud at the voting booths. It also meant that like never before there were people working tirelessly behind the scenes and on the front lines, to help ensure that this election was fair and that everyone who wanted to vote could cast their ballot. “Does My Vote Count” chronicles our journey across eight states to chat with these sometimes unlikely individuals, who in the darkest hour of our American dream, stood up and said “Our vote counts and our voices will be heard”.