MTV Plans to Partner With Ford Foundation to Create a Mobile Voting Registration Unit
The campaign is called +1thevote—in reference to the phrase for bringing a guest to a party—and it’s designed around the notion that young people place importance on sharing experiences with their friends.
MTV plans to partner with the Ford Foundation to create a mobile unit where people can register to vote and encourage their friends to register to vote if they see they aren’t signed up. The network also plans to host events across the country on election day—some may even include special appearances by musicians.
“MTV’s mission is to engage and entertain and celebrate the spirit of youth—everything from activism to escapism and all the messy stuff in between,” said Chris McCarthy, network president. “Voting matters, but voting with a friend matters even more.”
The network says its measure of success will be an increase in the percentage of young people voting. During the 2010 midterm election in President Barack Obama’s first term, an estimated 24% of young people (ages 18-29) voted in the 2010 midterm elections, according to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University.