It would be great if millennial celebrities stopped trying to subvert democracy. Wouldn't you agree?
Rock the Vote has released a whacky new video featuring a bunch of celebs urging young people to vote in the midterms elections. More specifically, they’re urging young liberals to vote for Democrats, but they’re not allowed to come out and say it because Rock the Vote is technically nonpartisan. And who knows? Maybe gun control and deforestation will turn out to be decisive issues this cycle.
However, the most troubling aspect of the video is the way it promotes illegal behavior—specifically, behavior that runs afoul of local election codes. Sexual juggernaut Lena Dunham, for example, appears in a voting booth accompanied by some "celebrity fitness trainer" no one has heard of. "This is how we do it in Hollywood," Dunham says.
No, that's NOT how they do it Hollywood. California election code section 14224 clearly states: "[A] voting booth or compartment shall not be occupied by more than one person at a time." The only exceptions are for voters who require physical assistance, or those who have a child with them. Neither applies to Dunham in this case.
Furthermore, when she signs Jonathan "Lil Jon" Smith's ballot with a Sharpie, Dunham runs afoul of section 14284 of the election code, which states:
(a) All ballots, except vote by mail voter ballots, shall be marked only with the marking device provided by law.
(b) To prevent voters from marking their ballots with a pen or pencil, at the time of delivering a ballot to a voter, the precinct officer shall distinctly state that the voter shall mark the ballot with the device provided by law or the ballot will not be counted.
So the real message Rock the Vote is sending is not "turn out [for what]" in the midterms. The real message is: "The rules don't matter, and neither does your vote." Maybe deforestation wouldn't be such a problem if so many random celebrities didn't get their jollies by invalidating paper ballots.
It is unfortunate to see a minor celebrity like Lena Dunham treat the foundation of our democracy so flippantly. Rock the Vote? More like Mock the Greatest Country Ever Made. Shame on all who were involved in the creation of this video for sending the wrong message to our nation's kids. They're the future, for crying out loud.
Millennials really are the worst generation.