On Nov 2, 2004 14 film crews set out to document what it means to vote in the United States. Beginning at 4:30 a.m. in Chicago and ending after 1 a.m. in Quincy, Florida, P.O.V.’s “Election Day” by Katy Chevigny brings these stories together in a portrait of the U.S. election system that we haven’t seen before. These are the stories of everyday voters. Eschewing the kind of horse race coverage and amplification of the red blue divide favored by the mainstream media after 2000, Election Day provides a snapshot of the people who make our democracy work.

Electoral law in the United States is intensely local. Chevigny’s film reflects that reality. In fact, there are different voting laws for each state and each county and thus roughly 4,600 different systems.

In this interview, Chevigny discusses how the film was made—all of the footage was shot on one day—whether problems encountered in 2000 and 2004 have been solved, and what needs to be done to improve the way we vote. And if you think it's nothing more than a historical document, think again. As Alternet recently reported, a little noticed recent federal appeals court ruling could disenfranchise thousands of Florida voters. Election Day premiers Tuesday, July 1 on PBS.