« September 26, 2006 | Main | September 28, 2006 »
September 27, 2006
pitching the vote
Wonkette (not that I read her, or anything) thinks that this expensively produced ad will actually turn off young voters, because it's corny and unrealistic. It shows voting to be a "pointless charade enjoyed by gullible old people."
I'm not certain what to think. On one hand, the spot advocates voting: for no particular purpose. I assume that people vote for or against something (often something controversial); but there is no hint in the ad of what those issues might be. The arguments it gives for voting are all personal and all positive, which makes it quite different from real political discourse. Also, I must say that I'm always suspicious of generic appeals to vote. Since voting per se is uncontroversial, a pro-voting ad is a safe way to promote a brand name without alienating anyone.
On the other hand, evidence from field experiments shows that young people are more likely to vote when someone tells them to--including when they are given nonpartisan messages that emphasize civic duty (pdf). This broadcast spot might work as well as a phone call; and we know that calls boost turnout. The URL advertised at the end leads to information about registering and voting, although there's nothing on the site about issues or candidates.
Posted by peterlevine at 11:40 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack