We here at The Root always come with receipts, as hard as they may be to bear. Last week, writer Michael Harriot asked, “Why Is It So Damn Hard to Vote?” Tonight, The Root writer Monique Judge answered, but regardless of the obstacles, one of our favorite big men on late-night has some sage advice:
“Figure it out.”
Thompson, the SNL mainstay who recently won an Emmy after at least 20 years of being on air, released his “Message to America” on YouTube on Sunday in conjunction with the Voter Participation Center.
Thompson knows that in some places in America, voting can be harder than Chinese arithmetic—it’s not standardized, has weird deadlines, and may be difficult to access—yet Thompson puts the onus on us to get the job done.
“It’s hard to get through school—homework, tests, train travel—but you figured it out,” he begins. “It’s hard to find a job ... but you figured it out.
“Sometimes voting can be hard—polling place is far away, odd hours, long lines, you gotta bring ID—the right ID—but guess what you got to do?”
All together now: Figure it out.
Now do that. Please.