As Taylor Swift set to perform in Miami, Fla., Friday, the Democratic National Committee launched a Swift-themed “I Will Vote” campaign targeting youth voters in battleground states.
270 To Win identifies 2024 battleground states as Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
This push comes just a few weeks after data from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Engagement and Learning (CIRCLE) at Tufts University indicated that youth voter registration is lagging this year compared to 2020, when current President Joe Biden beat former President Donald Trump. That year, it was up 11 points compared to 2016, when former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but lost to Trump due to the Electoral College.
Young voters typically cast ballots for Democratic candidates, hence them Democratic push to get them registered.
According to CIRCLE, its analysis of youth voter registration in 34 states showed that most had fewer young people registered to vote as of September 3 of this year than they did on Election Day 2020. However, it also showed some significant increases in some states since July. These increases were reported among the youngest eligible voters.
“There is still time for campaigns and organizations to reach and register youth,” as millions of people are expected to register in the weeks leading up to the presidential election, said CIRCLE. Some states even offer same-day registration.
As of September, two states – Iowa and Montana – were the furthest behind in youth registration compared to 2020. Iowa was down 44% and Montana was down 26%. Another 13 states were behind by less than 10%. CIRCLE said this lag could have an impact on the Montana Senate race, ranked as its top Senate race in the nation.
Democrat U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, the incumbent, is running against Republican Tim Sheehy. FiveThirtyEight polling aggregates showed that Sheehy was in the lead at 49.6% to 44.3% as of Friday.
On the bright side for Democrats, eight states were slightly ahead of 2020 for registration of voters age 18 to 29. These included two states identified as “toss-up” states by 270 To Win, Michigan (up 8%) and Nevada (up 3%). Other states that were ahead included Oklahoma, West Virginia, Kansas, Texas, Massachusetts, and Tennessee.
“Notably, Michigan and Nevada are among the states that recently implemented automatic voter registration, which can improve registration rates among youth,” CIRCLE said.
Still, only Washington and Michigan have more fewer 18- and 19-year-olds registered to vote now than in November 2020. That figure highlights the pressure to get youth voter registration up.
Per a press release from the DNC, the Swiftie-focused youth vote campaign includes an exclusive new filter on the Snapchat social media site urging young voters to be “fearless” on issues they care about, such as reproductive rights and economic opportunity. The pop icon herself has already endorsed the Democratic candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris.
This filter will also direct users to the IWillVote.com to learn how to cast their ballot for Harris in November. Ads will kick off in Miami, where a mobile billboard on a boat will be sailing near Swift’s concert venue. These ads will welcome voters to their “Kamala Era,” a reference to “The Eras Tour” that has become a cultural phenomenon.
“This election will determine the future for young voters, from student loan debt relief and economic opportunity to whether they have fewer rights than their grandmothers did,” said Rosemary Boeglin, DNC Communications Director. “Democrats are reaching out to young voters where they are, from concert venues to social media platforms, to make sure they have the resources they need to cast their ballot.”