Documentaries About U.S. Political Elections

Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story (2008)

Stefan Forbes' documentary profiles popular political insider Lee Atwater, who managed three Republican presidential campaigns, consistently introducing false information about the opposition. Atwater, who thought of politics as war, is considered the godfather of modern negative campaigning. He wrote the primer on practices still in play today. This film was screened at both the Republican and Democratic conventions in 2008 and it is, indeed, a revelation.

Chicago 10 (2007)

In this documentary about the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago and subsequent trial of protesters charged with conspiracy to riot, writer/director Brett Morgan used actual courtroom transcripts to create animated dramatizations of the trial of the Chicago 10, and added archival footage and interviews to produce a multi-textured film that reveals what happened when politics went very wrong. Hank Azaria, Nick Nolte and the late Roy Scheider are among the outstanding cast who bring the animated sequences to life.

Election Day (2007)

Filmmaker Katy Chevigny documents the public's engagement in the electoral process by presenting eleven interwoven stories of individuals--including factory workers, busy moms, ex-felons, diligent poll watchers and Native American activists--and their experiences from dawn to midnight on Election Day, November 2, 2004. This is an inspiring film about citizens taking responsibility and exercising their right to vote.

Free For All! (2008)

Patriotic filmmaker John Ennis, presenting himself as just an ordinary guy who's lost faith in our electoral process--more specifically in the safeguarding and counting of votes--goes on his own campaign to learn exactly what happened in the electoral 'free for all' that put George W. Bush in the White House. Ennis uncovers egregious misconduct that's actually altered America's political reality, including detailed information regarding the Florida vote count, the 2004 Ohio vote count that defeated John Kerry. He shows how bias and racial discrimination come into play in vote counting. Using terms everyone can understand, he shows how individuals and economic entities with their own agendas are actually controlling our democracy. Must see!

Stealing America: Vote by Vote (2008)

Filmmaker Dorothy Fadiman meticulously documents the systematic 'theft' of votes over the past decade by interviewing completely credible eye witnesses to outright election fraud and unacceptable disruptions in security measures, including incidents in Ohio and Florida, considered presidential election swing states. This eye opening film will convince you that you must pay more attention to whether or not your vote is actually included in the count.