Nat Barr stuns American woman after sharing a fact about Australia as she covers the US election
Sunrise host Nat Barr surprised an American by highlighting the major differences between the Australian and US voting systems.
As Kamala Harris and Donald Trump make their final pitches to voters ahead of the election on Wednesday, Barr, who is in Washington to cover it, revealed that many Americans have not yet cast their votes.
‘They’re saying about 74 million people have already voted, which is nearly half of the total who voted last time,’ Barr said.
‘It sounds impressive, but considering that 160 million people voted in the last election and there are about 245 million eligible voters, we’re still about 80 million short.
‘It shows how crucial it is to get people out to vote. Voting in the US isn’t compulsory like it is in Australia.
‘I mentioned this to one woman, saying, “Oh, we have to vote”, and she asked, “What do you mean?” I explained that voting is compulsory.
‘She then asked, “What happens if you don’t vote?” and I told her there’s a fine.
‘She couldn’t believe it. That’s why you’ll see celebrities like Beyoncé, LeBron James, and Taylor Swift probably performing tomorrow night in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the swing state with the most electoral college votes. It’s why all these stars are turning out to encourage people to vote.’
Later in the show, Barr suggested Trump could be benefiting from the ‘bro vote’ – young, straight Christian men who feel outcast politically, during an interview with former Obama administration official Peter Loge.
Nat Barr is in Washington as part of the network’s coverage of the US presidential election
Barr suggested Republican candidate Donald Trump was benefiting from the ‘bro vote’, young straight Christian men who feel rejected by other candidates
‘What about the ‘bro vote’?’ she asked.
‘A lot has been made of Trump attracting men.
‘One theory is that straight, white, Christian males who want to be part of a movement that doesn’t reject them are voting for him.’
Lodge explained that Trump is encouraging many young men to vote.
‘There are two voter groups here – one that would never vote for a woman or a Democrat, and another of younger men who might not have voted before but whom Trump is motivating to turn out as he has in past elections,’ he said.
