Decades after MTV began covering the presidential election through the lens of young voters with its “Choose or Lose” programming, the network’s parent company, Paramount, is once again urging young people to make their voices heard in the 2024 election.
Ahead of the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards, Paramount has launched the Vote '24 campaign in partnership with the Ad Council.
People can go to the Vote '24 online hub, VoteVoteVote.com, to check their registration status, register to vote, preview their ballot, and find voting information and resources. The hub is powered by Headcount, the nonpartisan, nonprofit voter registration organization that uses culture, digital media, and music, including concert attendance, to get people to register to vote and participate in democracy. Additionally, the Ad Council has shared the campaign with media platforms, organizations, schools, businesses, and individuals for free distribution.
“MTV has been inspiring young people to the polls and turning out the vote for more than 30 years, and every year that commitment to civic engagement has grown,” said Brianna Cayo Cotter, senior vice president of social impact for Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios, in a statement. “This year, we’re launching on one of the biggest nights in music and are partnering with the Ad Council to galvanize more brands and organizations to join us in our mission to see record-breaking voter turnout on November 5. In a year when an election can be decided by just a few thousand votes, it’s more critical than ever that people understand the power they have in not only showing up to the polls, but also in turning out their friends, family and communities.”
Ad Council President and CEO Lisa Sherman added, “Our elections are a critical moment for civic engagement and for all Americans to consider the future they want to see for this country. But it’s only when people ensure they are registered, have a plan to vote and cast their ballot that their votes can make a difference. We’re proud to continue our partnership with the Paramount team to inspire young people to make their voices heard in the upcoming 2024 general election.”
The Vote '24 campaign aims to encourage people to inspire their friends, family, neighbors and peers to vote; Paramount and Ad Council cite a study by the Outvote mobile app and Columbia University's Data Sciences Institute, conducted during the 2018 midterm elections and released in 2020, which found that a friend encouraging someone to vote increased the likelihood that person would do so by 8.3%, significantly more than mass text messaging campaigns by organizers on the ground.
Paramount and Ad Council are also highlighting research showing that more than 40 million Gen Zers are eligible to vote in the 2024 election, with young people of color making up nearly half of those newly eligible to vote.
MTV will also launch initiatives on National Voter Registration Day, Vote Early Day and Election Day, aiming to close the nearly 10 percentage point gap between community college students and those attending four-year universities.
The campaign also includes a video that highlights the importance of a single vote.
“How much of a difference can one vote make? Since 2023, more than 60 U.S. elections have been tied or won by a single vote, so this fall, you or a friend could be the winner and that could make all the difference,” a voiceover in the ad says. “People are more likely to vote when they have a friend encouraging them, so use your power to decide this election. Make sure you're able to vote and encourage your friends to create a voting plan at votevotevote.com.”
Previously, the MTV Video Music Awards had been rescheduled from its original date of Tuesday, September 10, to Wednesday, September 11, to avoid conflicts with the presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.