When it comes time to vote, don’t be like Chad. The Dane County Clerk’s office has enlisted Darth Vader’s lesser known brother in an effort to let voters know about Wisconsin’s voter ID requirement.
“According to a recent Marquette poll, 1 in 5 voters around the state are unaware of the recent court ruling requiring a valid ID to vote on November 4th . This campaign is designed to let voters know of the new rules in the few days remaining before the election” said County Clerk Scott McDonell.
Chad – voiced by Madison comedian Matt Sloan – arrives at his polling place without proper identification. He ends up at the DMV and gets his ID in time to vote. In reality, voter ID requests can take several days to process.
The Vader spot is one of three public service announcements aimed at informing voters that they need to bring valid identification to the polls in order to vote. Another ad features former Urban League President and Madison Police Chief Noble Wray, while a third is entirely in Spanish and will target Latino voters.
The ad featuring Wray will be aired on 18 cable channels and some network channels and will also be featured as an internet. The Spanish language PSA will be seen on both cable and the internet, while the Chad Vader spot will be run exclusively on the internet.
The City of Madison and Dane County are splitting the cost of the outreach program. The total budget is $45,000.