The Democratic National Committee launched a six-figure ad blitz today, targeting young voters on more than two dozen college campuses across battleground states and key battleground districts, according to a memo shared first with NBC News.
Their message to Gen Z
The campaign, featuring ads on buses, bus shelters, billboards and posters that read “Freedom is on the ballot,” is expected to reach 30 college campuses across Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, as well as Florida, Iowa, New York and Ohio. The call to action on the signs will direct Gen Zers to IWillVote.com, a website with information on how to vote early.
“The one thing I tell young people all the time is, ‘You are the largest voting demographic in the country — so imagine the world that you want and go vote for it,’” said Jaime Harrison, chair of the DNC.
This latest push is in direct response to a growing concern that Gen Z may not vote early at the same rate as other generations. In 2022, where early voting is less common in midterms compared to presidential elections, just 1 in 3 Gen Zers voted early compared to about half of those over the age of 50, according to Gallup. Amid record turnout of early voting this month in states like Georgia, Democrats are hoping to seize on that kind of momentum to push young people to head to cast their ballots early.
“We’ve seen young people make the difference in these campaigns,” said Harrison. “You have the power. You have the vote. You just have to use it.”