Darren Aronofsky (the filmmaker behind Mother! and Requiem for a Dream) has released a video asking 18-20 year olds to vote in the US midterms on November 6, a vital callout to combat waning numbers in young voters.
According to CNN, the 2016 turnout for Generation Z “dipped to nearly its lowest point in two decades”. Aronofsky’s video hopes to increase the turnout.
Alongside the video, the filmmaker tweeted: “First time voters have the power to make a massive impact in the upcoming midterms elections, but 18-20 year olds are part of a demographic that has historically failed to participate in National Elections. It’s time to change that.”
The video features a “dynamic group of activist from all over the country”, who include Chella Man, a transgender, deaf artist; Stoneman Douglas High School shooting survivor and activist David Hogg, teen author, activist and LemonAID warriors founder Lulu Cerone. Aronofsky tweeted that he filmed all the activists “speaking about what issues will be most important when casting their votes next month.”
“The passion these activists share about their causes is contagious. All of them are between the ages of 18-20. None of them were eligible to vote in 2016. But now they can be heard, and all of them are passionate about voting,” the filmmaker added. “We hope their activism inspires Generation Z to get to the polls on November 6 and speak up for the issues that are important to all of us.”
“We, the next generation, have taken matters into our own hands. Change isn’t coming, it is here,” a spokesperson for Students Walkout Against Gun Violence previously told Dazed.
You can watch the video below, and register to vote if you’re in the U.S here.