Do political protests make a difference? The right to assemble and speak out is written in the constitution. But do rallies and civil disobedience really provoke policy changes? We meet the people who take to the streets to “rage against the machine” and “speak truth to power.”

Why We March is 1 of 20 films that features celebrities and digital influencers, in comedies, documentaries and animated shorts. It was presented in a digital format and distributed across a broad array of platforms on two separate release dates, September 14, in preparation for the presidential debates, and October 12, timed to final get-out-the-vote efforts. We the Voters leveraged 60+ digital platforms and social media channels to connect low information voters to essential resources. PBS Education disseminated over 50 lesson plans and materials for the classroom. Each We the Voters film was connected to a dynamic digital “voter toolkit” that will serve as a definitive resource for understanding the issues at stake in the election. Public screenings and discussions groups were held in 20 cities across the country.

Across our platforms, we have tracked more than 19 million film views for the series to date. This number includes over 5 million Facebook views and 7.8 million Yahoo views. We have also measured PBS We the Voters Website performance and have received 26,239 page views, 12,475 unique lesson plan downloads and 5,920 unique video views for a 21% completion rate, supplying positive educator and student feedback regarding the relevance and success the films have in the classroom. Most importantly, the films continue to provide fact-based, non-partisan information to help lead informed discussions on issues brought up as the new US administration takes office.

Research shows that younger, less educated, less white Americans are less likely to vote. These “low-information voters” were our targeted audience and we got the films out on as many free platforms as we could in order to reach them. The original short films were fun and non-partisan, and took on such essential questions as “Does one vote make a difference?”; “Does money influence elections?”; “How can we find balanced news sources?” and “Does protest make things better?” We brought in talent appealing to our target demographic, like Anabelle Acosta, Tom Arnold, Mario Cantone, Rosario Dawson, Grace Helbig, Josh Horowitz, Richard Kind, Joshua Malina, Charlotte McKinney, Ingrid Nilsen, Ana Ortiz, Harold Perrineau and Analeigh Tipton. We also created a dedicated website and mobile app to make the films available to all free of charge. The films (and additional educational materials were delivered to schools.

Why We March is part of “We the Voters: 20 Films for the People” which is a nonpartisan digital slate of 20 short films designed to inform, inspire and activate citizen nationwide with fresh perspectives on the subjects of democracy, elections and governance in the lead up to the 2016 elections. The films demystify how U.S. elections work, and promote a call to action for Americans to make informed choices and seize the power of their vote.