Vote 2020: Election-Related Programming on PBS SoCal and KCET
This election cycle, KCET and PBS SoCal explore the past, present and future of our democracy. This special program lineup includes NewsHour's unbiased coverage of the conventions and the debates, FRONTLINE's investigative reports on the candidates, and Washington Week's analysis. Additionally, watch KCET Original documentaries that spotlight California's changing population, values, and social movements, and find local election coverage that explains the propositions and measures you'll find on your ballot and how they'll impact our city and state.
See below for air dates and more information on the program lineup.
Frontline: The Choice
Tuesday, September 22 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal
In the midst of a pandemic, economic hardship, and reckoning with racism, in November Americans will decide who will lead the nation for the next four years. This is the story of the two men in contention for the job. It examines defining moments in their lives, their approaches to power, and their visions for the future. Watch Preview.
PBS Newshour Debates: A Special Report
Tuesday, September 29 at 6 p.m. on PBS SoCal
Wednesday, October 7 at 6 p.m. on PBS SoCal
Thursday, October 15 at 6 p.m. on PBS SoCal
Thursday, October 22 at 6 p.m. on PBS SoCal
PBS NewsHour coverage of the 2020 Presidential and Vice Presidential debates.
The New West and the Politics of the Environment
Tuesday, September 29 at 8 p.m. on KCET
Thursday, October 1 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal
Unravel the story of a quiet revolution taking place in American environmental politics in a most surprising place — Nevada. Learn how politician Harry Reid used power to settle water wars, protect endangered species, and usher in a just transition to renewable energy. Watch Now.
187: The Rise of the Latino Vote
Tuesday, October 6 at 8 p.m. on KCET
Thursday, October 8 at 8 p.m. on PBS SoCal
Proposition 187 was a California ballot measure passed in 1994 that sought to deny public services to undocumented immigrants. While it was meant to keep the “immigrant threat” at bay, it mobilized non-immigrants and immigrants in Latino communities and their allies in a political awakening that transformed the state’s electoral politics. Watch Now.
The First Angry Man
Tuesday, October 13 at 8 p.m. on KCET
Thursday, October 15 at 8 p.m. on PBS SoCal
Howard Jarvis and his 1978 ballot initiative, Proposition 13, changed everything in California and beyond. “The First Angry Man” unpacks the dramatic campaign that slashed property taxes in California, leading to the collapse of the great public ambitions of postwar America and launched a nationwide tax revolt that continues unabated today. Watch Now.
City Rising: Youth & Democracy
Tuesday, October 20 at 8 p.m. on KCET
Thursday, October 22 at 8 p.m. on PBS SoCal
Explore how youth leaders, allies and organizations challenge institutional and systemic issues, like underfunded public services, mass deportations and overcriminalization, through civic engagement in pursuit of a more just and equitable future. Watch Now.
Power & Health
Tuesday, October 27 at 8 p.m. on KCET
Thursday, October 29 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal
Research has clearly shown that the majority of our health outcomes are not determined by genes, behaviors, and access to healthcare, but by what surrounds us. Inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King’s idea of a Beloved Community, this one-hour documentary examines how these conditions came to be and to discover the root of the root causes of health inequities. Watch Now.
NewsHour Election Coverage
Tuesday, November 3 at 5 p.m. on PBS SoCal
Watch live coverage of election results, anchored by Judy Woodruff. Watch Preview.