Go Vote! With the Nov. 3 election coming up, that’s the message many celebrities and social media influencers are sending out, using their voice and their platform to encourage people to go out and vote. These influencers have a large following and are urging the younger generations to use their voice.
Celebrities such as Camila Cabello, Lizzo, Demi Lovato, Zoe Saldana, Meghan Markle, Kevin Hart, Shawn Mendes and many more creatively used their platform to get out the vote.
Celebrities Encouraging to Vote
Zoe Saldana, the actress from “Guardians of the Galaxy,” partnered with the Vote Like a Madre campaign. This campaign encourages Latinx mothers, like herself, to vote for the candidate who supports action on climate change. In an Instagram video, Saldana said, “Pinky promise your kids that this election, you’ll Vote Like A Madre. That you will choose candidates with bold plans to fight climate change.”
Camilla Cabello took to her Instagram to encourage her followers to send in their ballots. She posted a photo of herself next to a ballot mail box for people who are voting by mail. The photo of Cabello showed her wearing a mask that said “VOTE” on it, as well. In the caption, she listed a few tips for voting by mail.
In the Billboard Awards on Oct. 14, Lizzo wore an off-shoulder black dress with the word “vote” all over it. Along with the dress, the word “vote” was painted on her nails. Then, she also had a conversation with Kamala Harris on Instagram with the caption “A conversation with Kamala Harris. Let’s go #vote.”
Photo via Instagram.
“I think it is very impactful to see a lot of celebrities, like Lizzo, influencing the importance of voting,” Ixchele Ortiz, junior early and special education major, said. “A lot of celebrities are truly becoming leaders that provoke change.”
Meghan Markle, duchess of sussex, appeared at a virtual event to encourage women to vote. In this event, When Women All Vote, Markle said, “We can and must do everything we can to ensure all women have their voices heard. At this juncture, if we aren’t part of the solution, we are part of the problem.” This event occurred when there was 75 days until the election, where she also discussed the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, which gave women the right to vote.
More Celebrity Takes on Voting
Kevin Hart took to Instagram to share with his followers that he has voted. In the video, he said, “I got up. I voted! Don’t just talk about it, be about it. Go make your presence felt.” Alongside the video, he captioned his post with “Go Vote!”
Shawn Mendes and many other celebrities joined a voting campaign called Just Vote. With this campaign, it gives fans the chance to win rewards and experiences from these celebrities. By filling in the form on the site, it shows people their registration status.
The reward people can win from Shawn Mendes and the other celebrities is “an autographed Shawn Mendes Foundation signature Fender electric guitar.” Other celerity rewards include, a “private virtual hangout” with Meghan, an exclusive, never-before-seen live performance from Dave Matthews, a virtual hang with Lenny and more.”
Jennifer Aniston turned to Instagram to encourage her fans and followers to vote. She posted a video of her and Jimmy Kimmel during the Emmy Awards, where she was seen putting out a fire. Her caption following the video said, “Let’s put out the dumpster fire that is 2020. Text VOTER to 26797 or click the link in my bio to check your status and vote early.”
Photo via Instagram.
TikTok’s Take on Voting
Aside from Instagram, many creators turned to TikTok to encourage people to vote. TikTok has created the “Tok the Vote” campaign to encourage users of the platform to post a video using the hashtag and including the link to get users to vote. TikTok creator Colton Hess created this campaign. Hess said, “The campaign endeavors to use this online platform to drive social change. It empowers them to be leaders in the fight for progress.” On the site, it allows people to see their registration status, a form to register if they have not and a week of action. The week of action includes a different activity to take part in every day of the week.
Johnsey Hackney, sophomore psychology major, said, “I see celebrities using their platforms as a positive idea because social media is mainly used to make people aware of situations that are occurring.”
“It is very interesting to see how their influences are shaping the society we live in,” Ortiz said.
