MTV to Harness the Power of Friendship with its First-Ever Midterm Election Campaign "+1 the Vote," Debuting in Tonight's VMAs

NEW YORK, Aug. 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- In tonight's VMAs, MTV will harness the power of friendship and unveil "+1 the Vote," its first-ever voter campaign to ignite the most powerful voting bloc in the country for the midterm elections.

Based on research which suggests that social influence is a strong motivator in voter turnout, the cornerstone of the campaign is the +1 the Vote Registration Tool, a first-of-its-kind digital experience which will allow young people to register to vote, identify which of their friends aren't registered to vote, and encourage them to register and join them at the polls on November 6^th. Additionally, MTV will encourage its audience to vote together by supercharging youth participation with more than 1,000 parties and events at the polls across all 50 states.

"Our audience relies on their friends in both the smallest and most meaningful moments in their lives," said Chris McCarthy, President of MTV.  "+1 the Vote is designed to draw on the power of friendship to turn out the youth vote and impact this critical midterm election."

"+1 the Vote" will launch in tonight's 2018 VMAs with an all-new promo spot introducing the campaign, a website, and the +1 the Vote Registration tool. In the months leading up to the elections, "+1 the Vote" will expand to include content across MTV, its digital platforms, social channels; ongoing coverage from MTV News; and partnerships with leading artists and activists. MTV worked with a number of non-partisan organizations to bring "+1 the Vote" to life, including the Ford Foundation, Alliance for Youth Organizing, CIRCLE, part of Tisch College at Tufts University, Democracy Works's TurboVote and #VoteTogether.

"+1 the Vote" was developed based on MTV/AP-NORC research showing that young people feel a renewed sense of empowerment in their ability to impact politics — 48% of 15-22-year-olds feel they have at least some effect on the government, up from 33% in March – and that friendship is a powerful driver of voter turnout. Additional MTV research found that that 76% of young people think inviting friends to the polling station is an effective way to encourage others to vote, while 70% think posting about voting on social media is also effective.

Visit plus1thevote.com for more information.

About MTV:
MTV is the leading youth media brand inspired by music, in nearly 180 countries and 450 million homes around the world, connecting with over 350 million fans across all social media platforms.  A unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), MTV operations span cable and mobile networks, live events, and the new MTV Studios unit which produces original and reimagined content for SVOD and linear networks based on MTV's library of over 200+ youth titles and franchises.

Source:
MTV/AP-NORC "Youth Political Pulse" Wave 1: 2/22-3/9/18; Wave 2: 4/23-5/9/18. Approximately 1000 15-34 year-olds.
MTV/AP-NORC "Youth Political Pulse" Wave 2: 4/23-5/9/18. Approximately 1000 15-34 year olds MTV Midterms Poll, August 2018, 1000 18-34 year-olds MTV Midterms Poll, August 2018, 1000 18-34 year-olds

MTV Contacts:
Stephanie Perez/[email protected] 
Katie Magnotta/[email protected]

SOURCE MTV