In a press conference on Monday, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced his new plan to increase voter turnout: Casting directors stationed at every polling station.
“In the last election voter turnout was 8.6%. We can’t hope to have a vibrant democracy when less than ten percent of the population is making choices for Los Angeles. But, I also understand that as city we lead busy lives, so in an effort to increase the value of voting, I have made a deal with the Casting Society of America (CSA) to have one casting director stationed at every polling place.”
Overall the response to the new program has been positive. “Finally, government is doing something that will help us in our day to day lives.” Said George Barber an aspiring actor, “I’ve been on unemployment for three months now. I just want a chance to show someone what I can do.”
It’s not just the actors but even casting directors are getting excited about this. Just ask CSA member Joey Kerr who is currently looking cast on multiple TV shows and features. “I’m just really excited for my chance to give back. I’m not that political, but ever since Diddy’s ‘Vote or Die’ campaign, I’ve voted in almost every presidential election. And now, here’s chance to get more people involved in the choices that will effect their lives for years. Plus, I get to see some new faces.”
The mayor’s office is now projecting a record turnout for the primaries in June. As a result, casting directors are recommending that monologues be no longer than 2 minutes. If this is successful, the Mayor’s office has said it could be expanded to A&R reps and art critics. At the end of the press conference Mayor Garcetti joked “While we won’t be checking photo IDs at polling places, bringing along a headshot probably isn’t a bad idea.”
