“Bill Nye the Science Guy” spoke with KUNR at the Washoe County Democratic Office in Sparks. He shared why he has been getting out the vote for the Harris campaign on other campuses nationwide and why he is endorsing those on the democratic ticket. After this interview, Nye left for the University of Nevada, Reno, where students gathered in front of the Knowledge Center, the university’s main library, along with the on-campus group UNR Young Democrats.
After his speech, he and the crowd began walking toward the polls, which are set up in the Joe Crowley Student Union until Nov. 1, which is when early voting ends.
During the initial interview and later in his speech, Nye focused on certain issues, ranging from women’s rights to young voter engagement. His biggest issue is climate change, he said.
“My issue for many years, decades, over 30 years, has been climate change, and the other side, as I like to refer to it, is not going to address climate change. Instead they’re going to continue advocating for the burning of fossil fuels with the, in my view, misguided idea that climate change is not as serious a problem as it is,” he said.
He continued to add what he believes will happen, short and long term, with a Harris presidency.
“In the next few years, we’ll increase the use of renewable energy, and right now, that's wind and solar. We're going to mine lithium here in the States, so our lithium batteries will be made with U.S. jobs, and that’s fantastic. That’s sort of in the medium or short term, but then long term, we're going to develop new sources of energy, and especially new and improved transmission lines. We're moving the electricity that we produce around the country and around the world,” he said.
For more information on local conversations surrounding lithium mining in Northern Nevada, you can find our most recent coverage here.
He also stressed his view that more young voters need to be voting. He said he believes that if more young people vote, “elections would swing progressive.”
“Young people are going to be affected by climate change more than anybody,” he said.
His tone throughout this conversation varied from serious to energetic.
“We have, not only an opportunity to lead the world, we have a responsibility to lead the world in addressing climate change. Let’s go! It’s going to be fun! It’s going to be exciting! We can do this people,” he said.
Hope Bunah was a student in that crowd. Part of the reason she chose her veterinary science major is because of Bill Nye, she said. For Nye, this isn’t a new sentiment. He mentioned how he heard this from other students, in our previous interview.
“Honestly, like a lot of people, he’s my childhood icon. It’s so cool that he’s here now,” she said.
She had already voted before the event and was focused on multiple issues, she said.
“Abortion, 100%. Anything related to women's reproductive issues. Probably border control as well or any immigration issues. I don’t know anyone that’s personally affected by immigration issues, but it’s still an important topic to me, because I feel like because America is America, the land of the free, many people can come here, we should allow people in,” she said.
The excited energy in the crowd carried up until and through Nye’s arrival and accumulated with students chanting Nye’s last name until he ran out onto the library front steps. He addressed the crowd with reiterations of the same issues discussed in our previous interview. He highlighted young voters' significance in voting and, above all, climate change.
Some students didn’t expect Nye’s appearance, like Kaiya Harris. Harris noticed the event while leaving a class.
“I just came out of a Psych Exam, and I was seeing what was going on, but I also like Bill Nye,” Harris said.
Harris said they had plans to vote over the weekend and with many different issues in mind.
“Abortion rights. LGBTQ+ rights. Minorities rights, because I am all of those things, with the exception of an abortion,” they said, laughing after their joke.
Some of these student voters had already voted or were planning on voting. But, either way, most just wanted to see Bill Nye the Science Guy.
For more information on Washoe County voting, visit the Registrar of Voters page.
KUNR’s Ember Braun is a student at the Reynolds School of Journalism.
