Here’s a fun fact to remind you of your own mortality: This is the first year that people born in 1998 will be able to vote. And since young people aren’t always the most consistent when it comes to showing up at the polls, a bunch of YouTube personalities are reaching out to young and first-time voters to remind them how important it is to cast a ballot this November.
The premise of the #voteIRL campaign is that young people need to vote “IRL” (in real life) rather than just weighing in online. And YouTube celebs like My Drunk Kitchen’s Hannah Hart, comedy personality Kingsley, sex-ed vlogger Laci Green, beauty guru Bethany Mota, host Philip DeFranco, Vlogbrother Hank Green, and activist/comedian Franchesca Ramsey are lending their voices to the cause. And that’s no small gesture; the combined audiences of these YouTubers number in the millions (Bethany Mota alone has 10 million subscribers).
Unlike Joss Whedon’s recent “get out to vote” campaign (which was filled with more traditional celebrities), the #voteIRL campaign doesn’t specifically come out for or against any particular candidate. But many of these YouTubers have condemned Trump on their own channels. Meanwhile, Hank Green recently launched his own video series in which he offers detailed explanations of how to register to vote in all 50 states.