Obama appeals to Gen Z Americans to register to vote: ‘Our future depends on it’

Former President Obama is stepping up his efforts to get young Americans to register to vote — and most recently, he made an appeal directly to potential Generation Z voters by releasing a video on TikTok outlining key issues on the ballot in the next election and reminding them of the progress they’ve achieved since the last election. 

In a video packed with cultural references and funny moments, Obama on Monday laid out “five issues that depend on your vote”: abortion, gun safety, schools, immigration and climate. 

“I know a lot of you care about these issues more than this kid loves corn,” Obama said in the video, before briefly cutting away to a viral video of a child eating corn. “So prove it. Make sure you’re registered to vote at vote.org/obama and then go vote. Our future depends on it.”

Obama began the video by introducing himself to people just turning 18 years old and acknowledging common arguments against voting, specifically that it won’t make much of a difference.

“For those of you who are just turning 18 and were only three or four when I was elected, my name is Barack Obama. I was the 44th President of the United States, and I have the best jump shot in White House history,” Obama began the video. “I’ve heard a lot recently about how voting doesn’t solve everything, and I can see why you might think that. It won’t make Outer Banks or Euphoria season 3, or Rihanna’s new album drop any faster. It won’t make sending GIFs any less cool. Wait, GIFs aren’t cool anymore? Anyway, it won’t even help you understand the most complicated questions in the universe. Like, why do I know so much about Pete Davidson’s dating life?”

“But here’s what voting does do: it allows you to make your voice heard on the big issues and it reinforces the incredible work you’ve done between elections holding your leaders accountable. Two years ago, more young people voted than in any other election since the 1970s. And because you did, the direction of the country changed,” Obama continued. 

Obama touted the largest investment in climate that America has ever made — which he attributed to young people voting in the last election — and noted vaccine development and student loan debt forgiveness, and he said, “We finally released that huge report about aliens. Oh, sorry. I mean, unidentified aerial phenomena.”

The former President and former first lady Michelle Obama have led efforts to increase voter registration since they left the White House. 

The former first lady began the nonpartisan initiative “When We All Vote” in 2018. In 2020, the initiative claimed it “reached” more than 100 million people “to educate them about the voting process and get them registered and ready to vote.”