In the run-up to the heated and divisive Nov. 5 presidential election, we decided to produce a series of short video profiles which featured Leelanau County residents of different generations, different genders, and different political persuasions. The goal was to explore what unites us—what traits we have in common—in these politically divided times. We asked 10 residents the following questions: “What do you like about living in Leelanau County?”; “What are your favorite autumn traditions?”; “What are you eating these days?” and “What does living in a democracy mean to you?” The message in these video profiles is to show that—while your neighbor or your family member might display a different political yard sign and vote differently than you—we have more in common than we think, and we should remember and embrace what binds us together despite the caustic atmosphere around the election campaigns.

