Everything that happened when Jokes For Votes hit UC Berkeley

During this year’s heated and extremely consequential election season, anxieties are rising as we get closer and closer to finding out who our next president is going to be.

Along with the tensions, pessimism about voting is increasing as well. To get more people to participate in the election, NextGen Climate and Funny Or Die are presenting a comedy tour called Jokes For Votes with the biggest names in comedy entertainment including Sarah Silverman, Baron Vaughn, Kate Berlant, and Reggie Watts.

The tour is throwing free comedy shows at college and university campuses across California in pursuit of registering more young voters, and of course, they made a stop at our beloved UC Berkeley.

Reggie Watts (Photo Credit: Lily Zhang)

Students and locals alike flooded into Lower Sproul as they waited for their favorite comedians to hit the stage, and once the show began, laughter roared throughout the plaza at every joke and pun. Each performing act brought a unique humor, ranging from sexual identity, racial identity, and even religion. Most importantly, the comedians effectively conveyed their message and political stance with their humor while engaging the audience and bringing attention to today’s important social issues.

Baron Vaughn addressed racial stereotypes that are imposed on African-Americans, and even made light of police shootings while also expressing the seriousness of this injustice within our system: “If I made a joke about every single police shooting, there would just be so many that they would definitely have to stop.”

Among all these wonderful comedians, Sarah Silverman was probably the most awaited performer. as she cracked jokes about sexuality while also addressing the freedom of choice for women.

Sarah Silverman (Photo Credit: Anthony Lim)

Freshman Kyla Stokesbary, said: “I loved the show because of the variety in material from each comedian, though I was hoping for more politically based jokes! I think the Jokes for Votes campaign was a great way to get young people interested and involved with activism on a larger scale.

The 18 year old architecture major continued: “Because the election is already so heated, I don’t know that the turnout will change that much but it’s definitely a great way to bring it to the forefront of people’s attention in a less pointed way.”

With the significant amount controversies of this year’s election, humor and laughter are definitely necessities to ease some of the nervousness people may feel.

However, the stakes are high and the importance of voting remains, so remember to cast your ballot and vote!