Illinois Voters Test
Illinois Voters Test
ON PREVIEW CASSETTE# 210780 THERE ARE THREE REELS TO THIS FILM. THEY ARE LABELED A, B AND C. NOTE THAT REEL "C" IS A COMPILATION REEL OF BOTH "A" AND "B". This is essentially a quiz show testing one's knowledge about voting rules and regulations in the state of Illinois. Reel "A": Opening montage: MS's of running political candidates meeting their constituents in both public and formal events (good shots of handshaking both the eager and not-so eager); MS of Robert Kennedy speaking at a podium on behalf of a political candidate; CU of a young Walter Mondale; CU and MS of Gerald Ford speaking to a large boardroom; MS of two men putting a bumper sticker on a car; rallys, crowds (including one for Bobby Kennedy, all sorts of banners and placards), press opportunities, kissing babies (not literally) and so on. Cut to three staged MS's of everyday folk voicing their dissatisfaction with the political process: an older man hoo-hawing to the camera, then a younger woman getting her hair done in a beauty salon (saying her vote doesn't matter/count), and a priest (says, "Amen"). Onwards to a polling place montage: MS's of a man entering a voting booth, CU of an election lever being pulled, etc. Then MS's of a middle-aged man wearing a beret and speed-riding (fast motion) a bicycle to the polling place before they close down; CU of the man asking the camera, "Am I too late to vote?" MS, pan right, of new citizens taking the oath of citizenship (all dressed well, looking happy). MS's and CU's of a roomful of people taking a written exam. Cut to CU's of the Declaration of Independence and the famous masthead, "We the People of the United States..." MS's of a Lakota Sioux Indian powwow; held outdoors on a bright sunny afternoon, the players in full regalia including war bonnets and bone necklaces. Cut to MS's of the Suffrage and Civil Rights movements as they relate to voting privileges. MS's and tight LS's of American troops in Vietnam (marching through plains and jungles on way to combat). MS's of switchboard phone operators at the Board of Elections doing their job. Tight LS of a commercial airplane taking off. MS of an old man lying in a hospital bed and being attended to by a nurse. CU's of switchboard patch bay. CU of a woman's hand, a wedding ring being slipped onto ring finger. CU of a newspaper, the pages of the front section being flipped. CU's and MS's of folks talking on a telephone (including a funny shot of a man scratching and misaligning a really bad toupe). CU of an electorate lever being pulled in a booth. REEL "A" ENDS AT 600'. Reel "B": MS of a man wearing a hardhat and waiting in line for his turn in a voting booth. MS of a goofy British-looking cad stepping from a voting booth while eating and pouring salt on a three minute egg. MS's and CU's of a man going through the voting process: registering with the polling judges at a table inside the polling place; being handed a write-in ballot; entering a booth and filling it out. Good CU of the ballot, the candidates clearly marked. CU of the tip of a pencil breaking. MS of amn taking a pen from his breast of suitcoat. CU of amn filling in the name of a write-in candidate for state senate. MS of man putting ballot into ballot box. Cut to funny, fast-motion reverse action of the entire process, leading to the very beginning. CU's and ECU's of boxes on ballot being filled. CU of a hand flipping switches of an electronic voting booth. CU's of various information systems circa mid-1960's, including 1" machines and analogue processors. Portrait stills of Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy Adams and Rutherford B. Hayes. MS of Franklin D. Roosevelt seated at a desk, signing legislature; CU of his signature as he signs something rather. Cut to a montage of the Selective Service Draft: MS's of a man being blindfolded in front of Congress, then pulling numbers from a large glass jar; CU of a young woman watching on, her eyes bugging from her head. CU (MS?) of a man reading the Daily News outdoors (tagline reads, "Today! Selective Service Registration Oct 16, 194?"). Tight LS's of soldiers boarding a large boat. CU of switches being flipped in an electronic voting booth. CU's of "scarred" ballots, write-in ballots where the markings did not follow procedure. MS, pan left, of new citizens taking the oath of citizenship (male and female, young and old candidates). Cut to great MS of a mother and her son sitting in a room before taking the oath-- the boy has a small American flag in his hand. REEL "B" ENDS AT 830'. REEL "C" IS A COMPILATION REEL OF REELS "A" AND "B".