Mocking the Vote

Emmett Madeson
Jul 27, 2017 · 4 min read

The United States consistently has the lowest voter turnout of any Western nation. Only fifty to sixty percent of voters have voted in the presidential elections in recent years (Gumbel 1121). Rock the Vote is a non-profit organization that has sought to remedy this by using celebrity endorsements to encourage young people to vote. There are many variables which influence an election other than voter turnout, including restrictive voting laws, distribution of electoral votes, and both accidental and purposeful tampering of ballots. Rock the Vote’s message upholds neoliberalism by convincing young people that they can create change within a system that was built to continue suppressing oppressed classes. Its choice in celebrity endorsements have the same effect.

“Together, we can ensure that our voices are heard and that on Election Day, we shape our country’s history.”

A visit to Rock the Vote’s website shows a modern layout and a color pallet of white, black, and red. On the left is a collage, with both hired models and celebrity endorsers, including Kendall Jenner, Dave Grohl, and Craig Robinson. The home page headline reads “Let’s Make History” in red handwritten font. Underneath, the text reads, “We Matter– …As the largest living generation, we have the power to define our future…Together, we can ensure that our voices are heard and that on Election Day, we shape our country’s history” (Rock the Vote). This clearly panders to young people with its usage of ‘we,’ despite the fact that none of the board members are under thirty years old. The campaign reduces young people to a collection of memes, slang, and the television shows they watch, without treating them as the multifaceted beings they are. It also offers an overly-enthusiastic hopeful tone that tells young people that they, as individuals, can make a difference while working within the unjust system in place.

“We are in the business of rigging elections.”

The unfortunate truth is that individual votes do not matter in an electoral system wrought with restrictive voting laws and gerrymandering. North Carolina State Senator Mark McDaniel admitted, “We are in the business of rigging elections” (Hill 78). “This…basically does away with the need for elections” (Hill 86) agreed Tony Quinn, a Republican redistricting consultant in California. Furthermore, individual voters are alienated from elections through the use of electoral votes, which can change how ‘important’ the vote cast is, based on location.

Even though the individual vote does not carry any weight, it is still beneficial to participate in elections. Many people of color are kept out of the polls by restrictive voting laws, so casting a vote serves to amplify the voices of those who cannot. There are also many times, such as the presidential election of 1800, that the election has been so close that it comes down to individual votes. Until radical changes are made, it is still important to vote as a civic duty.

“She found herself sympathizing more with the stray dogs she saw than the poverty-stricken people.”

One of the newest faces in Rock the Vote’s campaign is Lena Dunham: Actress, writer, director, white supremacist. In her 2013 interview with Rolling Stone, Dunham compared Indian people to animals by saying “We do a really good job in this country of…basically sealing off toilets and sealing off everything that lets us know we’re animals. And in India not only do they not do that, there’s no interest in doing that.” She also admitted “She found herself sympathizing more with the stray dogs she saw than the poverty-stricken people” (Hiatt, 2013). Dunham’s ignorance of the imperialism that caused the poverty she witnessed makes her the perfect spokesperson for Rock the Vote’s neoliberal campaign.

Rock the Vote upholds neoliberalism by discouraging radical change and uses celebrities to push their agenda. It matters because Rock the Vote is seen as a nonpartisan positive influence for young people. It gets lots of coverage on MTV and YouTube, media that young people tend to consume. Rock the Vote’s goal is to give young people a sense of confidence in the systems of oppression at work in this country and in the world.

Citations

Gumbel, Andrew. “Election Fraud and the Myths of American Democracy.” Social Research: An International Quarterly 74.4 (2008): 1109–134. Project Muse. Web.

Hiatt, Brian. “Lena Dunham: Girl On Top.” Rolling Stone. 28 Feb. 2013. Web.

Hill, Steven. Fixing Elections: The Failure of America’s Winner Take All Politics. New York: Routledge, 2002. Print.

Rock the Vote. 4 Apr. 2016. Web. http://www.rockthevote.com.

Emmett Madeson

Written by

I’m a certified EMT pursuing a BS in Public Health from UMass Amherst, writing about history, politics, and health.

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