Stephen Colbert takes on Election 2020: #betterknowaballot, voter mobilization, and the return to playful participatory satire

Focusing on the Better Know A Ballot initiative launched by Stephen Colbert to encourage voter registration and turnout in the 2020 Election, the research offers an in-depth analysis of Colbert’s satirical interrogation of voting rules across the United States. In focusing on the nuances that come with a federalized system of voting, Colbert effectively revisits his role as satirical election educator-in-chief, producing digital YouTube video content that is designed to be shared by and engage his audience. Colbert’s simultaneous satirical criticism of our election system and his call to get out the vote reflects a full circle return to playful participatory satire all the while offering an important mobilization tool for greater citizen engagement with technology and politics. Like recent efforts by other political satirists, Colbert’s Better Know A Ballot series reflects an increasingly entertaining yet activist take on engagement with US electoral politics.