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SYNOPSIS

By The People, takes an unprecedented, insider’s look at the myriad activities involved in maintaining the most basic element of our democracy – our right to vote. Set in Indianapolis, Indiana – a blue city in a longtime red state – as events unfold over the 11 days preceding the 2004 Presidential election, By The People vividly reveals who and what it takes to put on an American election.

For many Americans, elections are a mind-numbing barrage of media hype, sloganeering and partisan animosity. Little attention is paid to the real work that goes on. Armed with an unflinching eye, a storyteller’s sensibility and a sense of humor, first time director Malindi Fickle dramatically captures average Americans of all political stripes working side by side to insure that everyone in Indianapolis who wants to vote is able to vote. The result is a refreshingly honest, surprisingly funny and unexpectedly inspiring story about the guts of our political process.  

By The People follows County Clerk Doris Anne Sadler, a young elected official with her career on the line, as she and her small crew of government employees, together with a dedicated but aging band of volunteers, struggle to make the election possible. After witnessing their chaotic battle against time, lack of resources and political obstacles, you will never again take your right to vote for granted.

Against the backdrop of the most highly charged election of our time, By The People gets to the real heart of democracy and becomes a rallying cry against the apathy that is undermining our most precious right.