How does Ed Markey even know what TikTok is?
The youngest eligible voters are, historically, the least likely to vote.
During the 2020 election cycle, only 51.4 percent of 18-to-24-year-olds made their way to the polls, and that’s an 11-point increase from the 2016 election. So how do politicians encourage an increase in the youth vote and connect with a vastly underrepresented voter group?
TikTok, of course.
TikTok is dominated by Gen Z, and the people that are vying for their loyalty know it. According to Wallaroo Media, 60% of TikTok’s over one billion monthly users are members of Gen Z, which makes it an attractive marketing tool to capture the attention of the younger generation, and brands have been known to experiment with their ad campaigns to find the best way to break through (hint: it’s to be as un ad-like as possible).
Now, some politicians are following suit, hopping onto viral trends and doing their best to translate Gen Z humor into their own content in an effort to entice young people to vote—and hopefully for them.
These tactics tend to feel organic for young candidates like Christina Haswood, who used TikTok to help her become one of the youngest representatives on the Kansas state legislature, though even at 25 she felt like she was too old to be on the app when she joined in 2020, as she told podcast host Noel King and reporter Aviva Okeson-Haberman.
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Haswood, with the aid of a Gen Z high schooler’s expertise, introduced herself via the “Love Story” trend, which used a remix of Taylor Swift’s hit song and was wildly popular in July of that year. There were several variations, but the gist was that the creators would take note of the camera, push it away so it pans out just before the beat drops, and then dance to the beat. Haswood elected to power walk instead, sharing her campaign priorities in added text and scoring over 650 thousand views.
Okeson-Haberman also called back to Arizona country recorder candidate Gabriella Cazares-Kelly’s introduction to TikTok. One of her early videos finds her riding a scooter down a sidewalk, calling out, “Excuse me, I’m indigenous, coming through!” It’s reminiscent of the viral “Move, I’m gay,” Vine. This blunt, factual statement is just the kind of out-of-pocket humor Gen Z obsesses over.
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For older politicians, their content isn’t always received as intended. Many use the app to connect with their constituents in ways that haven’t previously been possible, mixing their personality in between campaign videos, but viewers sometimes find these posts to be disingenuous or cringy.
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Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers stitched a video wondering who was the judge in regards to a silly law regarding the pleasingness of cheese in his state, announcing that it was him. It’s above and beyond his most watched video—far more so than the viral Stranger Things meme he participated in to announce the song that would save him from Vecna. (And meanwhile, his rival in the upcoming midterms is doing well with educational breakdowns without worrying about what’s popular at all.) Evers’ viewers had mixed responses, with some finding entertainment in the antics and others expressing concern about time wasted.
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Recently Florida congressional candidate Ken Russell stitched musician Skylar Stecker. In the original video, Stecker squats down in a pair of sweats and, through a smooth transition, is suddenly in a crop top and shorts. Russell comes in right at the transition, matching her movement and asking if everyone watching is registered to vote for the upcoming primaries. In the comments, he called it a “typical political bait and switch.” It was a startling appearance on the FYP but an undoubtedly creative content idea, and Russell’s commenters seem to be unanimously in love with the idea. “I feel like I have been rickrolled about voting and I love it,” wrote one.
The list of representatives entering the viral playing field goes on and on. Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey once used a kind of roleplaying trend, asking his viewers to make it look like they’re voting in the comments.
Ohio’s Tim Ryan once utilized “Bored in the House,” a popular sound from early quarantine, to illustrate the roadblocks he was facing with Mitch McConnell.
Some viewers find joy in even the most ridiculous trend participation, especially when the politician does it well. Others roll their eyes at what some perceive as pandering. When it comes to politics, no one person will ever be able to please everyone, but even if someone you don’t agree with is making a fool of themselves, at least they’re getting young voters interested in the future—and that's not ridiculous.
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