What was We the Voters?

We the Voters was a multimedia interview project with a mission: to discover how communities and people live, work, and dream in the United States. The way I see it, most people are good. It’s easy to get caught up in labels and sides, but when we can look past the surface, we often have more in common than meets the eye.

My goal was for We the Voters to challenge you to consider people in the world — both people who look like you and ones who couldn’t appear more different — with the same empathy reserved for family and friends.

I believe that when we forget the labels and the sides, we can remember what we really are — people. Americans. All of us.

How did We the Voters work?

We the Voters was a long-term interview project with the original intention to visit all 50 states. I spent time in small towns and large cities (approximately a week in every state), talking to people I met along the way. These conversations and experiences were shared through essays, photo galleries, YouTube videos, newsletter entries, podcast episodes, and social media.

I spent time in dive bars and diners, fancy restaurants and quilt shops, community events and protests. Where the people were, that’s where I tried to be. I talked to moms with sons who suffered from opioid addictions, young artists with big dreams for their careers, farmers who were trying to make ends meet, and so many more. I witnessed the breadth and beauty of human experience, one mile at a time.

While on the road, I camped in my Honda CRV and stayed with friends I met along the way. I was – time and time again – floored by the kindness and generosity of strangers. The people I met along the road forever changed the way I view and interact with the world.

What happened to We the Voters?

The COVID-19 pandemic halted my travel plans in March 2020, as it halted life for people all around the world, as I completed state 27: New Mexico.

In the two years that followed, I contemplated many ways to continue the project. I conducted interviews in a small town in Georgia, where I lived for about 18 months during the pandemic. I photographed protests and community events up and down the East Coast, stretching between Atlanta and Washington DC, including Black Lives Matter protests, Stop the Steal protests, the 2020 election, and the inauguration of President Joe Biden. The following spring, I completed a podcast series that examined current political debates from both sides of the aisle.

Ultimately, I decided to conclude my work on We the Voters without visiting the remaining 23 states. I believe the project is whole as a time capsule, a time before the “new normal.” By closing this chapter, I was able to reflect on everything I’d learned – and reboot my creativity into a new project.