Iraqi Voices: Citizen Perspectives From Inside the Country on Election Day

Determined Iraqis flocked to the polls today to vote in the first nationwide parliamentary election since 2005. Despite pockets of violence, Iraqi citizens from 18 different provinces inside Iraq, as well as 16 other countries around the world, cast their ballots to determine who will fill the Prime Minister's office and the 325 seats in the nation's parliament.

These elections mark an important milestone for Iraq, a country damaged by war, slowly re-building itself as a democracy. We partnered with Al-Jazeera English to collect videos from Iraqi citizens before, during, and after Election Day. Each of these videos features the perspective of a regular Iraqi, whose viewpoints and experiences are rarely shared in the news reports coming out of the country. Through video, we can listen to their voices, see their faces, and gain a better understanding of what it was like inside Iraq on this important day. The footage is still coming in as the votes are counted, but you can go to Al-Jazeera's YouTube Channel to see the playlist of videos uploaded to YouTube so far. We're also showcasing videos on CitizenTube's YouTube channel.

One Iraqi got to the polls at 5 a.m. only to be find that his name was not on the list:

This voter shares who she voted for why she believes that secular candidates will win:

And this woman explains why she will not vote in this year's election:



If you're from Iraq or have thoughts about the Iraq elections you'd like to share, upload your videos to the Al-Jazeera website (http://interactive.aljazeera.net/iraqelections) using YouTube Direct and your video might be shown on television.

Reactions to Maine's same-sex marriage decision on YouTube

Yesterday, Maine voters passed "Question 1" to repeal the new state law to allow same-sex marriages. The measure, which passed with 53% of the vote, delivered a major blow to equal rights activists pushing for the legalization of gay marriage around the country.

We've seen dozens of people turning to YouTube to share their reactions and reflections.

Here's a playlist:

Post-Election Day, Citizens React Through YouTube

Yesterday, American citizens headed to the polls to cast their votes. Today, the results are in, and citizens are voicing their opinions about election outcomes through YouTube.

With big wins in New Jersey and Virginia, many are saying that it was a good day for the Republican party. User tailgatetalk, a conservative, disagrees, saying that people came out to support smaller government, not a particular party:



On the other side, Jared from Portland, Maine, woke up at 3:47 this morning to post this vlog, bemoaning the passage of Proposition 1, which outlaws gay marriage:



And user SuzannahArtist, a New York City resident created artwork to express her misgivings about Mayor Bloomberg's third-term win:

Ding Dong...Trick or Vote!

Today is the one day out of the year that most Americans expect a knock at their door, and a savvy organization called Trick or Vote is capitalizing on that. Trick or Vote canvassers will be going door to door tonight, dressed in spooky costumes, but rather than asking for candy they'll be asking for citizens to get out and vote on November 4th.

A fundamental part of Trick or Vote's outreach strategy has been YouTube - they've used the site to distribute a series of spook-tacular videos, like this one which was selected by horror maven Wes Craven to be featured today on the YouTube homepage:



Who is Trick or Vote trying to reach with these videos? "We use the undead to encourage the living to vote," said Matt Singer, lead organizer for Trick or Vote. "The sad truth is that zombies, vampires, werewolves, and monsters are all disenfranchised still in this country, so the best way for them to have an impact is by encouraging living humans to vote. We prioritize talking to young people and other people new to the process."

Haunted by the idea of low voter turnout? Visit www.trickorvote.org to sign up.