Biden became the first Democratic presidential nominee since Bill Clinton
Recent polls show a tight race in both Georgia Senate races. Young and first-time voters are yet again poised to play a key role at the ballot box, where the Senate majority for the next two years will be decided. If Ossoff and Warnock both win, Democrats will win back control of the Senate.
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Youth voter turnout nationwide increased this year compared with the 2016 election, according to data from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University. An estimated 52 to 55 percent of eligible voters between the ages of 18 and 29 cast a ballot in the 2020 presidential election, up from about 42 to 44 percent in the 2016 elections.
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With the help of online influencers, Georgia Senate candidate Jon Ossoff is using social media app TikTok as one tactic to get young voters, who were essential to President-elect Joe Biden’s November victory, to vote again.
Ossoff joined TikTok in early December, shortly before early voting began in the runoffs that will determine control of the U.S. Senate and a Public Service Commission race.
On Monday, Democratic organizers from the youth-led national group Future Coalition joined with influencers from the popular app in an effort to reach young voters.
“We want to be talked to by people who sound like us and understand what we’re going through, and TikTok is great for that. It really has empowered young people to speak on a peer-to-peer level with one another,” said Ethan Asher, director of engagement for Future Coalition.