Elections and Voting

Episode 1957: Election Day on Sesame Street

1961 United States Information Agency spot promoting elections and voting in the Dominican Republic. Subtitles by the Jim Henson Company.

Ace Hart argues with Eliot Shag about the election returns on Dog City

Rizzo the Rat does some last minute electioneering on Good Morning America.

Elections are a process by which a population votes for individuals to hold a position of public office within a government. Elections can be held for a number of political leaders including presidents, prime ministers, senators, governors, mayors, and other roles. Before an election is held, candidates campaign to their voting constituents to make the argument that their credentials best qualify them for the position they are seeking to win. In the United States, major elections are typically held in November; several countries view Election Day as an informal public holiday.

• Set against a "Vote for Wilkins Coffee" banner, Wilkins asks Wontkins if he's going to run against the Wilkins Coffee Party in the "Nobody Beats Wilkins" commercial. Wontkins prompts him to start the campaign race, but Wilkins interprets "race" in the literal sense, shooting him with a starting gun.

• The November 8, 1960 broadcast of Sam and Friends covered that evening's presidential election race between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. Kermit and Harry use the ICBM Think-o-Vac computer to predict Huntley and Brinkley as the winners.

• An early direct involvement of Jim Henson and the Muppets in promoting the democratic process was a campaign for another country, the Dominican Republic in 1961. They produced public service announcement spots using points from United States Information Agency materials, dubbed into Spanish, with a mixture of Muppets from Sam and Friends and prior commercials. (YouTube)

• The March 12, 1964 broadcast of The Jimmy Dean Show features Rowlf the Dog and host Jimmy Dean discussing the election. This prompts Rowlf to launch his own "Vote for Rowlf" campaign.

• Big Bird runs for president in Sesame Street Episode 0797 (1975).

• Inspired by Big Bird's campaign, Cookie Monster decides to run for president in Sesame Street Episode 0923 (1976).

• After the residents of Sesame Street have begun to enjoy the company of a dog that's been frequenting the neighborhood in Episode 1186 (1978), Gordon decides he's got a better name for him: Barkley. Favoring his original name, Woof-Woof, Bob expresses his disagreement until they admit that everyone should decide with a vote. Everyone in favor of Barkley gathers under the yard, while those voting for Woo-Woof assemble on the other side of the yard near the tire swing. After the tally results in a tie, each side entices their new canine friend with the name of their choice, until the dog finally settles on his new name: the Barkley constituency takes the win.

• Oscar the Grouch runs for mayor in Episode 1562 (1981). Gordon explains how elections and voting work, while Oscar runs a campaign consisting of kissing babies and a "reverent political hymn" in his commercial.

• Big Bird Goes to Washington, the unfinished Sesame Street movie that would have released during the 1984 election season, began with a montage of election campaigns that resulted in Big Bird being elected President of the United States.

• Olivia and David take Big Bird to the polls on Election Day to teach him about the voting process in Sesame Street Episode 1957 (1984).

• The American Revolution sketch from Season 18 (1986-1987) has Herry Monster as John Hancock (implied) presiding over the Continental Congress and explaining the voting process and its importance to the founding fathers, as they select a national bird. (First: Episode 2332)

• When Elmo joins the Two-Headed Monster in Sesame Street Episode 2351 (1987) to form a three-headed monster, they agree to vote for what they'd like to order at Hooper's Store. Excited over their enthusiasm for voting, David exclaims, "We'll do it the democratic way!"

• Sesame Place used real voting machines, loaned by the city of Philadelphia, to conduct its 1988 Sesame Place Presidential Election.

• Count von Count appeared in a PBS promo encouraging viewers to participate in the 1988 presidential election.

• The Muppets appeared in three sketches on Good Morning America timed with the 1992 presidential election: "Muppet Campaign" (February 18), "Super Tuesday" (March 10), and "Gonzo's Scandal" (April 7).

• Mr. Handford suggests voting as a solution for what everyone should buy at Hooper's Store with the money they've pooled together in Sesame Street Episode 3003 (1992). Later in the episode, Gordon and Susan explain how a voting machine works when they take their son Miles to the local voting center. They explain that you have to be eighteen and not a dog to vote. Two sketches debuting in the same episode continue the voting themes:

• Count von Count plans to take his bats out for Bat Day, but he can't understand them when they all express their wishes at the same time. He takes a vote: two bats vote to go see "Teenage Mutant Ninja Bats" with Bat Midler, and three bats vote for bug burgers at Burger Count. The Count says, "I love voting because part of voting is counting!"

• Luis reads "The Kingdom That Had No King" and explains, "Voting is one way a lot of people can decide on something. You count all the votes, and then you do what most of the people want."

• Dog City holds an election in the second season episode "Of Mutts and Mayors," with gangster Bugsy Vile running for mayor. The popular vote actually goes to incumbent Mayor Kickbark, but since Bugsy has arranged hizzoner's disappearance, he successfully steals the election.

• Prairie Dawn and Zoe appeared in a "You Vote" PSA for The Creative Coalition in 2008.

• Muppets Run for President is a proposed TV special that would have aired in the lead-up to the 2008 presidential election.

• Sesame Street Episode 4169 uses a voting process to decide which song should be sung to pass the time.

• Steve Carell presented "vote" as the Word of the Day in Sesame Street Episode 4311 (2012).

• Big Bird appeared on Saturday Night Live in response to critical comments made by Mitt Romney during the 2012 United States presidential election debates.

• Sesame Street's social media channels posted brief videos with Muppet characters encouraging Americans to vote on November 3, 2020: Oscar the Grouch [1], Bert [2], Grover [3], and Count von Count [4].