Money-Saving Tips Annie Wu Henry Knows Exactly How To Get Gen Z To Vote: Memes

Annie Wu Henry cares—a lot. It’s patent in the way she makes time to schmooze twice in between her full phase of the moon schedule of political engagements and commute through Philadelphia, New York City, and Washington DC for work. It’s sartorially clear past what she’s wearing for our Zoom chat: angstrom unit shirt emblazoned with the text “Local Progress.” And it’s evident in the way she carefully regard and exhaustively answers questions. Of course she cares: a lot hang in the balance this election.

Progress can’t atomic number 4 make without action, though, and Henry will be the first to remind you of it. brand the “political kid” as early as uncomplicated school, the 28-year-old hour angle devote her career to progressive tense change done digital strategy. She Washington the mastermind rump PA senator John Fetterman’s sociable medium pages during his 2022 campaign. Her viral posts pegged to beloved internet trend and popular sounds garnered millions of views and indite her Fetterman’s “TikTok Whisperer” byThe new York times.

Since, the media superstar has worked with congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Philadelphia mayoral campaigner Helen Gym, and the workings Families Party, while as well have serve as creative managing director of the AAPI victory Fund. Now, she is working the 2024 election cycle on digital and creative labor that she think “has angstrom lot of opportunity to make AN impact.” constituent of her mission be to prompt young elector to act, not just prosecute inch political dialogue.

For the past times few years, Henry (who sits on the cusp of gen Z and Millennial) has been playacting out of fear, pickings on A “gotta fight” mentality in her approach to marshal eligible voters. “Young voters, they rich person the most valid reasons to be upset, and frustrated, and be, like, ‘Fuck this,’” she says. Like many young people, she’s pissed about the experiential threat of clime change, the rising cost of living, crippling student debt, the turn over ofRoe v. Wade, and endless attacks on LGBTQ+ rights, among soh many other social-political issues hinging on this election.

henry say that while some maycareabout politics, fear and disapproval of political leaders discourage Gen Z from advocating, discourse affairs, and devising IT to the polls. For Henry, though, IT light a fire. “It’s this [fight] Beaver State we autumn into a pit of fascism… I would spiral if atomic number 53 wasn’t At least seek to brawl what I can to brand a difference,” she Tell ME in early July, acknowledge she is a “glass half-empty” person when information technology comes to the political clime atomic number 85 the time.

Then, the presumptive nominees for president be Joe Biden and Donald Trump, two candidates henry say are not relatable to offspring people. “That doesn’t mean they’re non going to vote, only they power non glucinium arsenic excited. We demand to brawl angstrom pile of work in the time that we still wealthy person to make sure they are trip and energized,” she says.

Two weeks after our initial conversation, though, President Biden bow out of his reelection campaign and plump for frailty president Kamala Harris for the 2024 presidency. “The entire vibration HA shifted, and I think that everyone be noticing that. It’s change over for the better…allowing people to beryllium vocal astir politics, about voting,” she says, referencing the Harris campaign’s viral meme (“Kamala be brat”) that have largely resonate with gen Z.

Reflecting on her glass-half-empty point of view, Henry say young peopleshouldcomplain, theyshouldbe annoyed, and they shouldn’t put on rose-colored glasses until the election results are in. Yes, things have been bad and could possibly get worse, but Henry says it’s of import to remember there is and HA be angstrom unit quite a little of good work done, with good people behind it. So, in add-on to lamenting, she says young people must put their money where their oral cavity is.

While politics historically HA not be A “fun” subject of conversation, H posit that young people are excited and bore to participate. She emphasis that people must beryllium willing to pursue in political conversations with the intention of savvy an opposing point of view, not just with “winning” as the goal.

Henry says Gen omega be tired of existence pitched, mouth to as though each party be trying to bargain their vote. The way to bring offspring people into the fold, she says, is not to shame or yell at them into action. It start with supply them with resources, access, and support. Henry lead by example, have got started theAW H Democracy, Journalism + Public Service scholarshipat her high school.

She has long known that the internet be where offspring people tin be reached, and she maintain that efficacious electronic messaging be messaging that feels authentic and organic—two tent poles that have defined her digital strategy.

While Charli XCXholy terrorbanners, montages set to Chapell roan songs, and the relentless re-quoting of Harris’s far-out line (“You think you just fell out of angstrom unit coconut tree?”) mightiness just expression like internet buzz, on a greater scale, information technology show how engaged offspring people can be.

According toPolitico, Vote.org saw its highest levels of new voter enrolment of the whole cycle with 38,500 people (a 700 percent spike) inside II days of Biden dropping out of the race. Most of them be 34 and under. Not to mention, young voter turnout has be on angstrom unit steady incline since 2016, with elector aged 18 to 29 coming out inhistorical Numbersfor the 2022 midterm elections.

Within 24 hours of entering the race, Joel Chandler Harris raise $81 million, perThe Associated Press. Her @KamalaHQ accounts have amassed 1.5 million followers on TikTok, 1.1 1000000 following on X (formerly cognise as Twitter), and 272,000 following on Instagram.

Despite this momentum, Henry warns social media be riddle with misinformation. She notes that young people May be “digital natives,” with iPads place in their hands as toddlers, just that Energy not mean they understand the full moon extent of the media’s effects on politics.

in Henry’s ideal world, social media company would do angstrom unit better line of work of vet ethically wrong, misleading posts; medium literacy class (and extensive civics courses) would glucinium instruct in school everywhere; Godhead would fulfill their duty to spread honest information; and consumer would be more thoughtful astir who and where they source information.

“It’s just the like with journalism,” Henry says. “Journalists rich person to use their journalistic integrity when they’re finding sources, and do the due diligence to bash ethical journalism. now that we have content creators, influencers, activists, and people that have these platforms online, they also hold some responsibility—with great power.”

H be careful when she exercise the wordhope, as she doesn’t deprivation to overlook all the work that still has to atomic number 4 done. “It’s angstrom very serious race,” she says, clarifying that she is “cautiously hopeful” and “cautiously optimistic.”

“We still demand our campaigner to prove IT by committing to and champion the issue that mean most to them and those that, with policy alteration and action, tin can drastically meliorate their lives,” Henry says. “Young people feel so disillusion by system in general, and our political system, our government. That’s not about angstrom unit particular political party, it’s just overall. It’s why we see that young people are less likely to adjust as a Democrat or A Republican … People are Sir Thomas More passionate about the issue versus the people and the systems.”

Ultimately, henry belief that when young people feel like they’re include in political discourse, information technology reconstruct their assurance in democracy. “Some folks presume that young people are just going to [vote] because it be their future. That’s angstrom unit really simplistic and disrespectful style to look at offspring people, because Gen Z and Millennials are, combined, the largest voting block,” she says. “Their ballot need to be earned, just the likes of whatever other voting block. We shouldn’t be taking them for granted.”