Hollywood celebrities will make a push on Monday to urge young people to the polls in Tuesday’s midterm election, when control of Congress and many state governorships are at stake.
In a first-of-its-kind event, more than 50 actors, comedians and YouTube stars will join a two-hour, live-streamed telethon on Monday night aimed at firing up younger voters, the age group least likely to cast a ballot.
Stars will not ask for money during the “Telethon for America.” Instead, they will urge viewers to call in to a celebrity phone bank and pledge to vote the next day.
The telethon will feature live performances, comedy, music, pre-taped segments, and interaction with a celebrity phone bank who will be calling out to fans and potential voters to ensure they will vote in the midterms.
Those expected to appear are Amy Schumer, Jim Jefferies, Jane Fonda, Charlize Theron, Jessica Alba, Judd Apatow, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lil Rel, Chelsea Handler, Ashley Benson, Adam Devine, Ben Gleib, Whitney Cummings, Russell Peters, Alyssa Milano, Jeff Ross, YouTube Stars Lilly Singh & Olga Kay, Sophia Bush, Tom Arnold, Aisha Taylor, Minnie Driver, Erik Griffin, Debra Messing, Jackie Tohn, Connie Britton, and a whole roster of others.
Comedian Chelsea Handler, who left her Netflix talk show a year ago to focus on activism, said she believes young people expect “older, more responsible adults” will act to solve problems through government.
“They just think someone else is going to take care of it, it’s not their problem and they may not be directly affected by it,” Handler, who is 43, said in an interview.
Turnout in midterm elections is traditionally lower than in presidential elections.
A Reuters poll found that in October only 25 percent of people aged 18-29 said they were certain to vote in the election, the lowest percentage of any age bracket.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt today added their voices to the campaign to get out the vote.
“This election might be the most consequential of our lifetime,” DiCaprio said in a video message with Pitt released on social media, mentioning issues like gun control, the environment and immigration, without referencing any political party.
Watch their message here, from the Jim Heath Channel on YouTube:
While the organizers of Monday’s event say it is a nonpartisan effort, increased turnout among young voters could help Democrats.
Forty percent of people in that age group identified as Democrats, while 22 percent called themselves Republicans.
Created by comedian Ben Gleib, the telethon will be streamed live from a YouTube production space outside Los Angeles on YouTube, Facebook Live and Comedy Central’s website.
Viewers will be directed to information about how and where to vote in the elections.
The elections, widely viewed as a referendum on Republican President Trump, represent a chance for Democrats to break his party’s hold on Congress.
The telethon could add momentum to a trend already underway: there has been a surge in early voting this year by young voters. Initial estimates modeled from survey responses, voter registrations and other data show huge increases in early turnout of voters ages 18-29 compared with the last midterm elections in 2014.
While Hollywood is known for backing liberal causes, and many celebrities are fierce critics of Trump, organizers said the telethon is not supporting any party.
Handler, a registered independent who is supporting Democrats in this election, said she will not take jabs at Trump during the event.
“This is about unification,” Handler said. “This is about encouraging everyone to vote. Listen, I want Republicans to vote too.”
The telethon is backed by When We All Vote, a nonpartisan campaign launched by former first lady Michelle Obama to encourage voting.
It is unclear how much celebrities influence voting, but there is evidence of sway in some cases.
Website Vote.org said 413,000 new voters registered in the first four days after pop superstar Taylor Swift in early October urged fans to register, up from 190,000 in the month of September.
“The Telethon For America” will air Monday at 6pm PT/9pm ET.