Why I Vote - David Weil
Time: 00:02:03
As opening graphic appears on screen:
On the left-hand side of the graphic a portrait of David Weil is seen with a close-up image of red, white and blue "VOTE" button is in the background. One the right-hand side of the image in large white with a blue stoke lettering reads "WHY I VOTE" laid over a slate colored background.
The graphic then cuts to video of David Weil seated. A lower third graphic with their name and title transition on briefly -
"David Weil, Dean of the Heller School for Social Policy and Management"
They address the camera:
"My name is David Weil and I'm the Dean of the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis and a professor at the University. I want to tell you why I vote.
Voting for me is the active physical expression of being part of a democracy. The right to vote is something that people in our country and around the world literally give their life to secure and defend.
This importance of exercising the right to vote is not just a platitude, but something very personal to me.
My father, Jerry Weil, and his family came to this country as refugees from Germany in 1939 fleeing the destruction wrought by the Nazis.
He impressed on me from the time I was a little boy the precious nature of democracy and the rights it provides.
But he also made me aware of what happens when those rights are taken away and that we must be vigilant in preserving democracy, beginning with the right to vote has never been more clear than in this election year.
Voting matters because elections matter. When I had the honor to serve in the Obama administration, I saw firsthand the consequences of elections on national policy that affects people's everyday life.
And the impact of elections at all levels of government has been vividly illustrated by responses to the pandemic over the last few months.
The challenges of our day illustrate so clearly that elections matter, civic participation matters, and public engagement matters. That is why I vote."
The video then transitions out to show a white background where blue text reading "Brandeis University" fades into the screen. A few frames later the text "go.brandeis.edu/votedeis" also fades into the screen after a few seconds the screen fades to black.