i just ask the lord, "who do you want over your city?" and then he's faithful in showing me who that is. ♪ ♪ ♪ oh, sister brazil's ♪ ♪ sightseeing airline ♪ ♪ sister brazil ♪ ♪ making me feel ♪ ♪ fine ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ fine ♪ ♪ oh, fine ♪ ♪ oh, fine... ♪ we'll see how it goes. i'll just feel so bad, like, having everyone here if i bomb. i'll be, like, "sorry, sorry, y'all." ♪ fine ♪ ♪ ♪

we'll see what happens. ♪ ♪ (thunder claps and rumbles) (thunder rumbling, rain pouring) hayden: excuse me, everyone. (cheering, clapping) thank y'all. (applause continues) man: texas! - my name is hayden pedigo, and i ran for city council.

i, i got the news that out of the four people that ran for place one, i came in second place. (all cheering) (cheering and applauding) but i want to tell you guys tonight, i am celebrating, and i feel very excited, because the thing is, this experience has been beyond beautiful for me. i never thought i would be running for city council in amarillo, i never thought i'd be meeting the peoples, people in the communities i did, and i'm inspired to be living here. and i want to see the changes that i've been talking about, so our city can progress as a whole. and even though i lost this time, this isn't the end for me, and i think it's only the beginning. this is a beautiful city, but i don't think we should just be letting all the 60-and-up-year-olds decide the future of our city, because we live here, too. (cheering and applauding over hayden) i'm going to say thank you.

i'll say my name is hayden pedigo, i'm running for city council place one, i lost. thank you all so much. (all cheering) and i believe now, we have lake dabs going on, am i correct? (cheering) give it up for lake dabs. (guests cheering over hayden) (band playing) (woman cheers) (band playing) (singer exclaims) if everybody could kind of work their way over here, i think eddy and ginger are going to say a couple of things. ginger nelson: it's just been an amazing... i don't know where to start. two years, two-and-a-half years, two weeks? all of it, and you guys have been at the core of it, and actually it's, it's a team that the lord built. eddy sauer: so, this has to be something that the lord willed, and, um, and honestly, the other reason i know that

the lord willed it is because my right-hand person. (guests cheering and applauding) get over here. how was that? - very good. - (inaudible) - i'm very proud of you. i've never voted before, but i did this time. (man speaks inaudibly) - i know. - we've gotta go. (people talking in background) - people don't understand... honestly, now, this sounds stupid, but if we don't vote, we don't matter. remember that. - you know something? (thunder rumbling, band playing) ♪ ♪ (blackburn clicking tongue) yuki, come here. see? no interest in that.

that's my kind of animal. (yuki barks) she's sort of a thinking animal, but her thoughts are stupid. stodel: why don't you ever run? that's not my job, okay? i already created an office that i elected myself to, which is the chief pain in the (bleep) around here. you know, i'm happy with, with retaining that job... (laughs): ...and serving as an incumbent. (radio playing) lovejoy: i don't think i'd ever want to be an elected official. i think you have to worship at too many altars. i hope to see that the same people that are going to council meetings and are vocal and out there doing something and out there saying, "i'm standing for this," continue. everybody dies, but not everybody lives. and i don't want to be one of those people that i look back and didn't use my life to the fullest. i mean, truly, at the end of the short, brief time here on earth, we want to know that we used our time to have an impact. ♪ ♪

l'hannah: our marriage is really good now. and i do believe that the election and him running brought us closer, just 'cause hayden has grown from this, i have grown from this. i feel like everybody involved have grown from this. i think he's got a good heart, and as long as he goes into anything in life and his intentions are pure, i will support him. hayden: hopefully people can learn that... i think if there's something you're passionate about, and you want to speak up on, you can be heard. doesn't mean you're going to win, but people know about it, and just putting it out there changes the landscape. and to me, it's like chopping something down. i might've put in the first hit with the ax, i might've put in the first chip, and there's a lot of room to go, but i put out the possibility

that something can be cut down if we want it. i feel like we grew together. - you definitely inspired me. - you inspired me. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

del toro: follow the conversation for tonight's america reframed using #kidcandidate. ♪ ♪ yeah! ♪ baby, it's a rollercoaster, don't stop ♪ ♪ better take a hold, spin it like a top ♪ ♪ well, that's right ♪ ♪ that's right ♪ ♪ people all around, things are gonna change ♪ ♪ everybody knows they're gonna stay the same, though ♪ ♪ that's right, that's right ♪ ♪ give a little toast, do a little smile ♪ ♪ i can tell you every time, it's all right ♪ ♪ it's not right ♪ ♪ every time you stay, i get going my way ♪ ♪ well, i know your type ♪ ♪ oh, that's all right ♪ ♪ that's right, that's right ♪ ♪ hey, ooh ♪

♪ hey ♪ ♪ hey, ooh ♪ ♪ hey... ♪ del toro: stay up to date on america reframed at worldchannel.org. subscribe to world channel's youtube to go beyond the lens with our filmmakers. tell us what you think using #americareframed. major funding for america reframed was provided by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, wyncote foundation, the corporation for public broadcasting. additional funding for america reframed provided by open society foundations, acton family giving, park foundation, the national endowment for the arts, and the reva and david logan foundation. ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ when i voted in my first election as an american citizen, i saw a sign at the poll station that said, "ask me about being a poll worker." i asked. a petite woman with short gray hair wrote down a website and told me that they're always looking. i thought, as a new american, i could understand the democratic process on a deeper level, and be part of it. i never thought i would become an american citizen. it never really mattered to me until i had my daughter. when she was younger, we used to travel quite a bit, and there was one year where we were outside the country one week shy of six months. i knew, as a green card holder, that if i had left the country for longer than six months, i could have my green card taken away from me.

my middle sister had her green card taken away from her. she went to holland to be with her love, and when she returned to the u.s., she was told that she was just transiting. it scared me that i could be kicked out of a country that my daughter knows as home. and so, when i received notification of my in-person citizenship test, i rented a compact car to drive to downtown los angeles, and i even found cheap parking. when i got to the office of my in-person citizenship test, i saw a man sitting behind a simple desk. he was proudly fourth-generation japanese american, and he had such a great, jovial smile about him, and nature. "who's the second president of the united states?" "john adams. and that's not part of the test." "you're right. you studied more than you had to." when i received notification that i passed my citizenship test, i arranged for my daughter to be taken out of school

so i could take her with me for the swearing-in ceremony. when my name was called up, she clapped and took pictures, and it was such a fun day. when i got my canadian citizenship-- my family and i had immigrated from korea to canada when i was younger-- that was a sad ceremony. we had to renounce our korean citizenship. as a new american, i could still be canadian, and i could vote. for the 2016 election, i voted for hillary clinton. i wanted her to break the glass ceiling. canada, great britain, israel, and new zealand already had female heads of state. i wanted my daughter to have a president that strived for equality. and so i looked up the website, signed up to be a poll worker, had a phone interview, and signed up for my training session. at the training session, i was surrounded by people who really cared about democracy. in the lineup for the women's restroom, we all talked about how long we had been poll workers for-- "16 years," "20 years," "30 years."

and we clapped when someone said, "36 years." here i was with firefighters, librarians, and other civil employees who really cared about democracy. and we all chanted, "voting never stops," because that's what we learned. that the main job as a poll worker was to make sure that voting happens. on the day of the election, i was so excited. i woke up at 5:00 in the morning. i couldn't sleep. i carried with me a battery-operated candle, so cars could see me at nighttime as i crossed the street, as i walked my way to the polling station, an adult education center. i also had a book with me to read during the breaks. and when i got to the polling station... i was confused. there was no one around. and the polling station was locked. and then i noticed a woman sitting in a dark buick sedan.

i walked over to her car and gently tapped on her window. "hi, um... "i'm here to be a volunteer poll worker. do you know how we get in?" she opened her car door. "i'm beverly, um, the supervisor. "i was hoping you would have the key. this is my first time being a supervisor." she got out of the car, and we stood outside on the sidewalk, waiting. no other poll workers showed up. they were supposed to be six of us. where are the people who cared about democracy, who want to make sure that voting never stops? when the principal arrived, he refused to let us in. he said that he received no notification that we were supposed to be there that day, and so we quickly set up polling stations on the sidewalk. voters were waiting. i was sweating. voting never stops.

this was not how it was supposed to happen. i thought that we would get doughnuts and refreshments provided by the polling station. that the poll workers would high-five each other when voters came in to vote. i thought we would at least be inside. when the area supervisor, ralph, arrived, he told us once again that the principal didn't know that we were supposed to be there. and then finally, mid-morning, the principal said, "all right, come in, because it looks bad that voting is happening on the sidewalk." he also told me to tell beverly that we need to be outside of the building by 6:00 p.m. and i told him proudly that voting doesn't stop until the person who enters the line at 8:00 p.m. votes, and then we needed time to break down our things. he begrudgingly agreed.

and, finally, i could focus on my volunteer job as a poll worker. i passed the ballots to the voters, told them how to vote, and gave them their "i voted" stickers. i saw neighbors come in, and my husband and daughter, they came to visit me. my daughter, she passed me her mail-in ballot that was my husband's. and she told me that she wants to become a poll worker. at the end of the day, ralph, the area supervisor, came back and told us that he would bring everything back with him because of the mess of the morning. it was 16 hours, and i was exhausted. so four years later, that polling station closed, and i honestly... stopped becoming a poll worker. but then, for this election,

i signed up again, because it does matter to me. and california has now changed the rules that the polling stations can open up for ten days. i was offered to work ten days, eight, five, three, or two. i chose three days. my training session starts soon. voting never stops. ♪ it's 2005, and i'm in a pub in north cornwall. north cornwall is this bit at the bottom of the u.k.-- it sticks out. this is london, this is scotland. and i'm in this pub. i'm drinking cider-- tastes good, i love cider. i'm watching the bubbles trail up from the bottom of the glass to the top of the glass. and in the background, there's an argument. the argument's about me,

and whether i should be a candidate in the upcoming election. so a little while ago, dan rogerson, a good friend of mine, reached out and said, "hey, will you be my campaign manager? "i'm going to stand as a parliamentary candidate in the upcoming election." i go, "sure, yeah, i'll do that. i can take some time off work and everything else." he also says there's a catch, that there is a county election happening at the same time, so there's 17 candidates for that. so it's 18 candidates that i have to get elected, and i'm thinking, "that's a lot, but i like a challenge. okay, dan, i'm in." so a couple of months later, here's me in the pub listening to the argument, drinking my cider-- i love that cider. and dan stands up and says, "i've decided-- eric is gonna be the paper candidate." "what does a paper candidate mean?" you say. fair question. it means that i'm not intending to win. we're 15 points behind, we have no activists in the area, and so it'll be hard to deliver leaflets and everything else. so it's not gonna happen. i'm just gonna be a paper candidate.

we also need it, because it's one of the counties inside dan's constituency. and we need to make sure dan is represented in each of those areas. so it's how it started-- i'm a candidate, but my main job is to be the campaign manager for those 18 people, including myself. so i tell my friends a couple of hours later, you know, this is what's happening, this is where we are. "i'm gonna be a candidate, too," and they go, "what? you as a politician? you're having a laugh!" "yes, it's okay, i'm not gonna win." "oh, but if we come down, we could help you. "we could do whatever your thing you do is, "like, deliver leaflets and talk to people. we could do that." i said, "no, you don't need to do that. i'm not gonna win, it's okay that i don't want to win." my friends are not so good at listening to me. so one by one, they start appearing at the local train station, i come pick them up, because it's kind of countryside. like, there's distance with everything. you have to drive everywhere, and eventually, in my 200-square-foot apartment, i have five people hanging out, sleeping,

and every single day, they're knocking on doors, they're delivering leaflets to get dan and i elected. and i say to them, "i'm feeling guilty about this." like, "i don't want you working so hard to get me elected. "like, go out and enjoy the beaches or the cornish cream teas or some good cider." they don't kind of listen to me and they work hard. so at one point, me and dan are out in newquay north, so this area that i am standing is newquay north, so it's a part of the town of newquay. we're knocking on doors and people are recognizing dan. that's awesome. we're doing a good job. but they're also starting to recognize me. so occasionally, i'm out knocking on doors myself or delivering leaflets, and people start telling me their stories, like whether it be a story about a problem with the local school or a problem about the local bus services being cut. and some grannies need those to get to local shops. they won't to walk all the way. so, i'm listening to that, i'm thinking, "hm." now, i'm a software engineer by trade. i love solving problems. and the more complex they get, the more i want to solve them.

and there's one occasion that i walk up, and knock on a door, and hear... (imitating woman): "come in!" and i walk in, and i'm surrounded by grannies! they have all these different types of cakes, and i think, "what have i walked into?" and then one of the grannies said, "oh, you're eric! "you're that candidate for county council!" "yep, i am." "you could do a cake competition! you could judge which is the best cake." and they all stare at me, and i think, "this is a trap." so, one by one, i taste each of their cakes. they're great-- there's a chocolate one, there's one with raisins and currants, there's one with cherries, there's one with nuts. i like the crunchy ones. and i say, "these are all good qualities." and one of the grannies said, "you'll be a great politician. you didn't answer the question, 'which is the best?'" "and nor shall i," i say. they like me either way, and they say they're going to vote for me. and as i walk from there, i think, "oh, god, i love this place. "i love the people.

i want to solve these problems." so my father, just so you know, he's british-- stiff upper lip, you know, tough. my mother, she's argentinean-- flamboyant, artistic, and she falls in love with things hard. i'm kind of falling in love with newquay. but now i have a job back at london. i need to pay off debts. i can't do this. but i kind of want to do it. months later, we're still campaigning, we've finished off. it's now election day, and i'm in a gym. inside the gym, there's 18 election counts going on. votes are being counted, whether people got the x in the right box, or whether it's just outside. people arguing about, is this a vote for this person or not? and i'm paying attention to dan rogerson's campaign. i want to make sure that he gets elected, and if i can, get all the other ones elected. now, i have a good friend george. george is mischievous, he has a twinkle in his eye, and he sidles up to me. he says, "it's close."

i said, "they're all close. they're all looking good." he goes, "no, your election's close." "how close?" "40, 50 votes." "oof... "but i'm losing, yeah? it's okay, i'm losing." "no, you're winning." and i'm thinking, "do i want this? "am i good enough for this? the other candidate's good, too." later, george comes back and said it was so close, there's a recount. huh... i should say, days after the election are surreal. you're exhausted. you've done 16- to 18-hour days. and you're now saying thank you to all the voters. you're saying thank you to the volunteers. you're cleaning up the signs. you're doing the campaign finances. i went to cornwall to win 18 elections, and we won 17. and one of them we won by 48 votes. mine. so i'm staying in cornwall. i'm going to help those grannies. i'm going to solve their problems as much as i can.

and so, for the next three years, i work as a politician in a beautiful place in cornwall called newquay north.

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