Which top Twitter accounts are helping to get out the vote in 2020 … and which ones are staying silent?
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 13th, 2020
CONTACT: press@fightforthefuture.org, 978-852-6457
Digital rights group Fight for the Future has compiled a scorecard showing which of the top 100 athletes, artists, influencers, and brands with the highest number of followers on Twitter have sent at least one tweet this year encouraging their followers to vote. The list excludes politicians who are running for office and using the platform to campaign for themselves, as well as many foreign-born entertainers whose core audience may live outside of the United States.
These top 100 Twitter accounts have a combined total of more than 3.1 billion followers. 55 of the top 100 accounts have sent at least one tweet this year encouraging their followers to vote, reaching as many as 1.9 billion people. But 45 of the top 100 accounts — with nearly 1.2 billion followers combined — have taken no action whatsoever. Of course, Twitter currently has 330 million monthly active users, meaning millions of people are seeing multiple messages about voting from many of their favorite celebrities and brands … though millions more might not be seeing anything at all. The full scorecard can be viewed at SaveDemocracy.Online/#scorecard.
“If you can reach millions of people by simply sending a tweet, then you need to send a tweet telling millions of people to vote. Right. Now.” Dayton Young, Product Director for Fight for the Future (he/him) continued, saying, “Voting is how we protect our basic rights and ensure that everyone in our communities enjoys the same freedoms and protections under the law. The Internet has made it easier than ever to register to vote, vote by mail, volunteer at the polls, and find a voting location near you. So let’s make sure we’re all using every online tool at our disposal to get out the vote for the 2020 elections.”
Notably, NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal announced that 2020 is the first time he has ever voted, and he has used his Twitter account to tell his followers that “It has never been more important to exercise your right to vote.” Media guru Oprah Winfrey has made numerous posts urging her fans to take part in her OWN television network’s #OWNthevote campaign. And comedian Will Ferrell’s Funny or Die production company tweeted a simple, attention-grabbing message: “Please fucking vote.”
Meanwhile, billionaire businessman Elon Musk — who has never shied away from posting his outspoken political viewpoints on Twitter — has stayed curiously silent on the non-partisan issue of voting. Social media influencer Kylie Jenner has directed her followers to visit Vote.org to register to vote, but her older sister Khloé Kardasian has avoided the topic altogether. Perhaps most outrageously, the official Twitter account hasn’t sent a single message encouraging its 58 million followers to participate in the upcoming election, yet rival social media network Instagram has used its official Twitter account, @instagram, to encourage its 35 million followers to vote.
To view the full scorecard and learn more about what you can do to help get out the vote, please visit SaveDemocracy.Online.
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