With election day just around the corner, a new movement on social media is catching voter’s attention. Voting to “cancel out” someone’s vote on the opposite political spectrum is becoming an increasingly popular topic within the young voters this election season.
While votes does not necessarily “cancel” eachother out, this trend has made a often tension filled and stressful topic feel more, lighthearted and approachable. First-time voter McKenzie Owens, 19, told NBC News, the trend can make others realize “that people can co-exist even though nowadays politics can also drive people apart.”
While technically a single vote doesn’t "cancel out" another in the literal sense, the movement seems to have succeeded in encouraging voter participation by giving people an accessible, lighthearted angle to engage with the voting process. In many cases, social media users keep their political leanings private, but some have voiced support for Kamala Harris, playfully citing a goal to "cancel out" a loved one’s vote for Donald Trump.
Vice President Kamala Harris’s 20-point lead over former President Trump between voters ages of 18 to 34 strongly indicates her popularity amongst young voters.The “cancel out” trend gaining attention on Social media platforms that are also mainly occupied by younger audiences, could be a beneficial move for the democratic nominee. Harris’s campaign has the opportunity to increase young voter turnouts as well as increasing competition in swing state youth demographics.
According to a poll conducted by Pew Research, on average 85% of parents who identify as Republican/ Democrat have a teenager who identifies with the same political party as them. Since following the political beliefs of their parents is a typical occurrence amongst young Americans, this trend of embracing individual’s political beliefs and voting for the opposite political party highlights a growing willingness among young people to question inherited perspectives, forming opinions based on their own values and beliefs.
As polls remain closely split, this trend could offer Harris’s team an opportunity to connect with swing-state youth by highlighting how every vote can truly make a difference. With so much at stake in these highly contested states, emphasizing how close elections can come down to individual choices may change voter outcomes for this election. The “cancel out” approach adds a competitive yet playful spin, appealing to a younger demographic that may otherwise feel distanced from politics and bringing them into the fold as active participants.
https://nypost.com/2024/10/26/lifestyle/gen-z-vows-to-cancel-out-their-parents-votes-in-new-presidential-election-tiktok-trend/
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/tiktok-cancel-out-vote-joke-videos-election-rcna177147
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/05/10/most-us-parents-pass-along-their-religion-and-politics-to-their-children/
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/10/22/harris-trump-young-voters-cnbc-generation-lab-election.html
8 comments:
This trend could effectively galvanize young voters who might otherwise feel disconnected from the political process. It not only may boost voter turnout, but also empower young people to carve out their own political identities. Oftentimes, young people feel they must align with their parents’ beliefs, or they just naturally do given their upbringing and environment. This trend could lead to more young people thinking for themselves, but hopefully not trying to “cancel out” votes without rhyme or reason. Many young voters today are motivated more and more by issues like climate change and social justice, which may lead them to vote for candidates based on policies rather than simply party affiliation.
Every vote matters, especially in critical swing states. This trend also demonstrates how social media can serve as a powerful tool for political engagement, making voting more relevant to young voters who may very well be voting for the first time.
It’s cool how this “cancel out” trend is making voting feel more approachable especially for the younger population who might feel more disconnected from politics or have a more moderate stance. This is reflective of the change in political socialization in 2024 because now the parties are realizing that young adults gravitate towards a playful, competitive vibe rather than one that’s formal. It shows that people can engage with political differences in a way that’s less about division and more about participation, which feels refreshing. Plus it can also be a clever way to get people to the polls without making it too heavy or polarizing. The part about Harris having a 20-point lead with young voters, and the trend taking off on social media platforms they dominate, makes it feel like this could actually have a real impact. Kamala looks like she’s winning on tiktok among the younger generation while Trump has Elon Musk on X. Young people “canceling out” their parents' votes or even each other's votes could shift some swing state dynamics, especially with the boost in voter turnout. It also kind of reflects this shift where young voters are questioning family politics and thinking for themselves, which feels like a healthy move toward independent political thinking.
I thought this article was really interesting because I had not really heard about this media trend spreading in the media till now. In general I think it will actually have a positive influence on this year’s election. For so many years campaigns have been aiming to get the younger generation to get involved in voting and this is a way to do it. Not only does it put a light hearted spin on the election but it is bringing in more voters and more opinions. This is a great example of how much impact media has on voters and elections. Media is a great tool to use for campaigns especially when it comes to encouraging the younger generations to vote. In recent times Kamala’s campaign has been using TikTok as a platform and it is increasing the amount of young voters. Overall I think this is actually a trend that will help the election in getting voter rates up and decreasing polarization.
Just today I had a conversation with some friends at lunch and they were talking about politics. And someone brought up how they don’t really care about politics, they aren’t politically involved because they can’t vote. And another person brought up that even if we were able to vote would our vote really matter because we live in California. And while it’s highly unlikely that California would ever go Republican again, where do we think that such high turnout comes from? From people voting. Whether or not you think it matters, 50 Democrats vs 20 Republicans would be stronger if it’s 51 Democrats vs 20 Republicans even if that means the same thing for California’s senators. As Mana mentioned, the “cancel-out” effect is a great motivator for youth to get out and vote. We all want to feel like our voices matter and are heard. And if voting itself doesn’t feel like a strong enough motivator, then finding a way to stir a bit of competition is highly effective.
I am surprised people see this as "lighthearted" and making the election more approachable, as it seems kinda the opposite to me. Voting not because you actually want your candidate to win but just because you want to lower the other candidate's chance of winning seems like a bad way of looking at politics, especially if your goal is just to "cancel out" another. I believe that if you vote for a candidate, it should be because you appreciate more of their goals and values than you do the other candidate. I am not surprised that people would be voting just to decrease another candidate's chance of winning, but if both are so bad that you cannot see yourself voting because you actually want one to win, that really says something about this country's politics...
I'm mixed in this "cancel out" trend since while it encourages voter turnout, it also makes voting seem like a process to do the opposite of people around you. Youngster's voting turnout has been an issue as stated in the textbook, and I think this trend is perfect to promote that case. For Harris, this can be huge to her campaign as we learned in class, young people tend to learn towards the liberal side. Furthermore, it shows how impactful media can be on people. However, on the other hand, the idea that voting just to "cancel out" another one's vote doesn't seem right. While politics may be a difficult topic to discuss and approaching it lightheartedly is nice, voters should think and research about their candidates carefully. They should vote based on their individual beliefs and other people's votes or these kinds of trends shouldn't influence their decision. I also think that this rather creates a political polarization as it relates to the division between "red v blue" and can be interpreted as a battle rather than a unitary duty. This idea of "cancel out" may be appear elsewhere such as disagreements to negate each other's points, or social media where bunch of random people can post to contrast the other's opinions. Overall, this news also implies the shift in generation where the internet and media has a lot of power and influence over people, especially young people.
As much as social media can tend to spread misinformation and program an individual's feed in a way that only exposes them to extremists of the party they support, I appreciate how it is being used in a beneficial way with the "cancel out" trend coming to rise. The trend has definitely encouraged more young people to vote, which is very essential to the election turnout, as the younger generation historically has the lowest voter turnout rates in each election but can definitely affect numbers if turnout is greater. I do also believe that seeing videos in which father and daughter, mother and daughter, siblings, friends, etc. are voting for different parties can enable viewers to become more open minded about straying from the political voting patterns of those around them and cause them to begin to think independently. I recently saw an ad for Kamala Harris which showed a married woman coming into a voting facility with her husband (in support of Trump) to vote. He tells her to "make the right decision," however she votes for Harris. The ad sent the message that voting is meant to be private, and however controlling one's significant other or other companions may be, it is ultimately up to oneself as to who they vote for. It highlighted the idea that it is a free country, and one should not solely base their vote on who others around them support.
I think the "cancel out" trend is a fun, interesting way to engage young voters, especially since it adds a sense of lighthearted competition to something as serious as voting. By framing the act of voting as a way to playfully balance or "cancel out" opposing votes, it makes the political process feel more approachable and relatable. The trend could help motivate more young people to participate. With Harris's strong support among young voters and her lead in this age group, this trend could be a beneficial boost to her campaign by helping mobilize more youth turnout, especially in swing states where every vote can make a critical difference.
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