This year’s tumultuous series of presidential primaries is heading into the home stretch. And looming largest of all is the crucial contest in California set for June 7.
To spur voter turnout in what has been nicknamed the Big Enchilada primary, because so many delegates are up for grabs, Los Angeles public television station KCET has just launched “Your Choice. Your Voice,” a campaign to get out the vote.
To help get the message out, KCET has joined up with Kate Walsh, known for her role as Dr. Addison Montgomery on ABC hit Private Practice and before that Grey’s Anatomy.
In the campaign’s kickoff public service video, she stresses: “No matter which candidate you choose, your voice matters more than ever.
“The race for the White House has certainly generated a lot of media attention, with some of the overblown personalities and the potential consequences of the man or woman who is elected this fall.
“Remember, there are a lot of important issues at stake which may impact you directly depending on who makes it to Washington.”
The top of the card in next week’s California primary is the contest between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton for delegates in their pursuit of the Democrat presidential nomination, with polls showing it’s close.
The undercard is Donald Trump who has already clinched the Republican nomination.
Walsh and KCET stress that the get-out-the-vote campaign is strictly non-partisan, aimed at getting voters to polling places to exercise their right – not just in the headline contests but up and down the ballot in state and local races. A particular goal is to reach “diverse and multicultural voters”.
Walsh told us: “This is about principles and not personalities. Voting is an exciting and important part of our democracy, and more people should take advantage of the privilege of voting when many people around the world don’t have that privilege.”
Besides a busy television, film and stage career Walsh has in the past lent her voice to many other causes including ocean conservancy and pet adoption.
What’s on tap for her professionally? Walsh says is working on Felt, a movie about the late FBI official Mark Felt who was finally identified as Deep Throat, the secret source of information to the Washington Post reporters who broke the Watergate scandal. It is set for release in 2017.
And this summer she will be on the stage in Williamstown, MA, in a play by Wendy Wasserstein, American Daughter.
The KCET “Your Choice. Your Voice” effort goes nationwide starting in late August and ends on election day November 7 in partnership with Link TV, which is available on satellite providers DirecTV and Dish Network.