Who says bison can’t vote? The Vote Bison coalition, which is campaigning to make the bison the National Mammal of the United States, has released a homemade video showing that even the candidate itself can cast a ballot.
The humorous video features a voting station and a surprised attendant recording the vote cast by the proposed national mammal. As the Krista Branch song “I am America” plays in the background, a voiceover at the end of the 40-second video says “I am the American bison, and I approved this message.”
The video is the latest step taken by the coalition to build support for the National Bison Legacy Act which was recently introduced in the House of Representatives by Reps. William Lacy Clay ( D-MO) and Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE), and released in May in the Senate by U.S. Sens. Michael Enzi (R-WY) and Tim Johnson (D-SD).
Thanks in part to more than 67,000 emails sent by the public to Congress in support of the legislation, the race to designate bison as the national mammal is quickly becoming a stampede. To date, 17 Senators and 4 Representatives spanning states from New York to Hawaii have endorsed the bill. The coalition has launched the video as a reminder for people who have not yet visited www.votebison.org to do so and ask their representative to become a co-sponsor of the bill.
“We’ve been thrilled with the enthusiastic ‘turn-out’ for this campaign from both the public and Members of Congress,” said Wildlife Conservation Society Executive Vice President of Public Affairs John Calvelli. “As we see in the video, even the bison themselves are getting involved. We’d like all Americans to follow their lead and ask their representatives to support an All-American icon.”
The National Bison Legacy Act acknowledges the efforts that Native Americans, bison producers, conservationists, sportsmen, educators and other public and private partners, are making in recognizing bison for its cultural, economical and ecological significance across the American landscape.
Visit www.votebison.org to cast your vote
