MADISON – In an effort to cut through the noise and disinformation that is increasingly targeted at purple swing states such as Wisconsin, Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell is releasing a new Public Service Announcement (PSA) produced by Blame Society Films featuring its Star Wars parody celebrity Chad Vader titled “Chad Vader Takes Command of a Voting Station.”
“Voters deserve reassurance that their vote is safe, secure and counted,” said McDonell, a Democrat. “In order to get out the serious message on the excellent security and accuracy of our elections, we are looking to cut through the current flood of disinformation using a bit of humor to grab people’s attention.”
This sentiment is shared among clerks from both parties.
“As election administrators we take our job of overseeing safe and secure elections seriously,” said Wisconsin County Clerks Association President Trent Miner, a Republican and the Wood County Clerk. “We want the voters to know that regardless of political party, clerks have multiple layers of security in place to make certain that votes are safely and accurately counted.”
The infamous Chad Vader — the younger, less talented brother of Sith Lord Darth Vader — debuted in 2006 in a series about his role as the Day Shift Manager at the Empire Market. He is the creation of Blame Society Film’s Aaron Yonda and Matt Sloan, who have received numerous honors and accolades for their parody sitcom, including being selected by Star War’s creator George Lucas for The Unofficial Star Wars Fan Film Award and appearing on ABC’s Good Morning America.
Since that time, Chad Vader has taken a particular interest in voting and elections and using humor to cut through the current noise and get out an important message.
“Amid election conspiracy theories, concerns about voter intimidation and false claims about election security in our vital swing state, we looked to Chad Vader to stand out with fun and facts on the steps we take to secure and protect our Wisconsin elections,” McDonell added. “We hope the fears of Mr. Vader – and others – are put to rest.”
Blame Society Films created two versions of the PSA, one approximately three-and-a-half minutes long and one at 30 seconds. McDonell, Sloan and Yonda hope other clerks, election administrators, media, nonprofits, public officials and anyone interested in sharing the facts about measures that are taken to keep votes secure will “steal” the ad and share widely.
Videos:
Chad Vader Takes Command of a Voting Station: https://youtu.be/1cuDcXaT9X8
Vader Voting Station short version: https://youtu.be/sGtjr3gE6Ig
Chad Absentee Votes updated for 2024 election: https://youtu.be/1-oScc-eJSg
Questions? Contact Dane County Clerk’s Office at 608-266-4121 or email DaneCountyClerkMedia@danecounty.gov
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