Home > Life > Digital Culture

This meme is tricking people into visiting the voter registration website

It's like Rick Rolling, but you don't have to listen to Rick Astley.
 By 
Brian Koerber
 on 
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Flipboard

Hello, have you registered to vote yet? There may still be time to do so, depending on your state.

Give the constant sense of urgency in our great nation, some folks are trying their hardest to convince people to vote in the upcoming midterm elections. Sometimes -- people need a little extra push.

Sure, it just takes a few clicks and some tappy taps on your keyboard to register, but getting to that website and actually registering can be a challenge for some procrastinators. Because of this, some people have taken to good old fashioned clickbait.

"Wow I can’t believe this is why Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson split up," Tim Cigelske posted on Twitter yesterday along with a photo of the recently demolished couple. He then posted a shortened url, which, as you probably guessed by now, leads to Vote.org's voter registration page. Because he used a photo of the couple as well as a link, it hid the link preview, so people couldn't tell where they would end up.

According to Cigelske, the link had been clicked over 1 million times, thanks to a few celebrity retweets.

But, as Cigelske points out on Medium, he stole the idea, "like any good Twitter meme." Turns out Ashlee Marie Preston tricked him into clicking first.

And others have done the same, hijacking his link with their own clickbait of trending news or interesting topics.

That One Direction regroup clickbait stung for some though.

Sure, some may call it cruel, and others may think the whole meme is taking advantage of Grande and Davidson's relationship woes. But elections can be won with just a few votes, so for many, the slight disappointment you feel when you realize your favorite band is not getting back together is worth you at least considering, and possibly even registering to vote.

Featured Video For You
Doja Cat’s cow anthem is the perfect song to get you in the mooood

Topics Memes Politics

photo of brian
Brian Koerber

Brian was the Culture Editor and has been working at Mashable on the web culture desk since 2014.

Mashable Potato
Recommended For You
Google debuts 'Me Meme' feature in Google Photos app
By Chance Townsend
A sign of US technology company Google displayed during the World Economic Forum (WEF)
Fans think mysterious countdown on Amazon's website teases a 'Fallout 3' remaster
By Alex Perry
Player character shooting enemies in Fallout New Vegas
That 'Fallout' website countdown? Well, it's not what we thought.
By Shannon Connellan
A screenshot of the Vault-Tec HQ in "Fallout".
What's AI.com, the mysterious website with the Super Bowl commercial?
By Matt Binder
AI.com logo on mobile device
Bad Bunny's Grammys pause is now the internet's go-to reaction meme
By Crystal Bell
Bad Bunny Grammys 2026 reaction meme
More in Life
Anthropic makes the case for anthropomorphizing AI in ‘unsettling’ research paper
By Timothy Beck Werth
Science fiction robot head and abstract lights background
T-Mobile is giving away the Apple iPhone 17 for free — how to qualify
By Joseph Green
Apple iPhone 17 on Mashable composite background
The DJI Mini 5 Pro drone is down to its best-ever price at Amazon — save $500 this weekend
By Joseph Green
DJI Mini 5 Pro Fly More Combo
California just launched the country's largest public broadband network
By Chase DiBenedetto
Newsom stands behind a teen on a computer. A group of people cheer and clap behind them.
The Shark FlexStyle is our favorite Dyson Airwrap dupe, and it's $160 off at Amazon right now
By Tabitha Britt
The Shark FlexStyle Air Styling & Drying System against a colorful background.
Trending on Mashable
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 4, 2026
By Mashable Team
Connections game on a smartphone
Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 4, 2026
By Mashable Team
Wordle game on a smartphone
Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 3, 2026
By Mashable Team
Wordle game on a smartphone
AirDrop on Pixel: Every Google smartphone that supports the Apple feature
By Alex Perry
Google Pixel 10 against blue background
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 3, 2026
By Mashable Team
Connections game on a smartphone
The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!