Watch this comedian concisely, astutely explain the U.S. election to Britons
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
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
