Watch this comedian concisely, astutely explain the U.S. election to Britons

Rich Hall explains the American election to Britons

(Image credit: BBC/YouTube)

Rich Hall is an American comedian who has the unenviable task of translating the 2016 election for inhabitants of Great Britain on BBC News, and he kicked things off with a list of five things Britons "should probably know about the United States presidential election." He does this in a little over two minutes, and his first four points make for a pretty insightful civics lesson that American voters would benefit from watching as well.

For example, in explaining that Americans vote for state and local offices, not just president, Hall says that "the traffic cone commissioner is more important to most Americans than the president" — you probably won't find "traffic cone commissioner" on your ballot, but his point that local elections affect Americans more than national ones is a good one and underappreciated. He also explains the electoral college very succinctly, and reminds everyone (especially Americans) that America has had uglier elections than this one. "I'm pretty sure Trump is not going to come out and call Hillary a cannibal," Hall said. "I mean, he could, but he probably won't." The last point is probably true if you are talking about petitions to legalize marijuana, but Britons, this is actually not how Americans conduct presidential polls. Still, watch and learn below. Peter Weber

The Week

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.