Learn 'how to vote in every state' with help from John and Hank Green's new YouTube series
LOS ANGELES -- John Green and Hank Green are hoping to help encourage the YouTube community to rock the vote.
On Friday, the duo -- who began their successful YouTube channel Vlogbrothers in 2007 -- launched a new series called "How to Vote in Every State." The goal is to help increase civic engagement in the U.S.
"Young people are the heart of the progressive movement, but they're also the least likely age bracket to vote," Hank Green told Mashable in an email interview. "Often times we talk about apathy, but it's also simply that figuring it out takes time and sometimes the information necessary to vote is confusing or difficult to access, especially since it's different in each of the 50 states. I remember being intimidated by the process the first time I voted, and I wanted to help people through that."
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"Young people are the heart of the progressive movement, but they're also the least likely age bracket to vote."
There will be 53 different videos, which originate from the Vlogbrothers channel, that will discuss how viewers can register, how to find out if they are registered, how to find their polling places how and where to vote early, how to get an absentee ballot and how to get a sample ballot.
Voting varies by state, hence making multiple videos to address each topic. The videos are each about one to two minutes long.
"I am very lucky to live in a democracy, but the only reason politicians listen to citizens is if they vote," Hank Green added. "So, traditionally, young people don't get listened to because, traditionally, they vote less. We need to change that, not just on the national level, but on the local level as well, where the majority of the governing in the U.S. actually happens."
In addition to their channel, the Green brothers also run a digital empire, co-organizing the annual VidCon convention and tackling many philanthropic and educational endeavors.
Hank Green also recently launched The Internet Creators Guild, which aims to "increase the number of people in the world who can be create [sic] professionally."
Saba was a Los Angeles-based reporter who covers all things digital entertainment, including YouTube, streaming services and digital influencers. Prior to that, she spent two years at the Los Angeles Times covering entertainment for the Calendar and Company Town sections. Saba grew up in Santa Monica and graduated from Boston University with a B.S. in journalism and B.A. in political science. When not reporting, she is usually binge watching shows online or looking for new coffee shops to frequent.
