Kristin Snyder is an editorial intern for dot.la. She previously interned with Tiger Oak Media and led the arts section for UCLA's Daily Bruin.

Karen Bass, Kenneth Meijiala, Shayanne Wright TikTok

TikTok courtesy of Karen Bass, Kenneth Meijiala, Shayanne Wright

In March, congresswoman and mayoral candidate Karen Bass documented submitting her paperwork to run for L.A. mayor on TikTok.

The video has just over 1000 views. Compared to her 14,000 Instagram followers and 46,000 Twitter followers, her 141 TikTok followers don’t amount to much.

Still, it reflects the growing number of political candidates trying to make the video-sharing app work for them.

That TikTok has exploded in recent years is hardly news. The app hosts 138 million active users in the United States, and 60% of its overall users are considered members of Gen Z. Teens and young adults have already utilized the app for political activism that ranges from sabotaging a Donald Trump rally to advocating for abortion rights.

Now, politicians have caught on to the fact that if they want to reach younger audiences, they have to be on TikTok.

“What we're seeing now is this gold rush where politicians are trying to be the first to stake their claims in this relatively unknown world of this medium that very few of them are actually using themselves,” says UC San Diego Political Science Professor Thad Kousser.

Though in 2018 midterms youth turnout nearly doubled and in 2020, the number of young people increased by 11%, turnout at local elections remains low. Engaging voters in local races has also proven to be difficult—in the 2017 Los Angeles mayoral election, only 20% of registered voters actually filled out their ballots.

But, platforms like TikTok can help boost the visibility of local candidates, according to University of Pennsylvania Professor Pinar Yildirim, who has previously studied how social media impacts political fundraising. Historically, smaller candidates have struggled to catch the mainstream media’s attention, making it more difficult to spread their message. Which is why they’re turning to TikTok.

@realpastorbrian
Why can't we focus on real issues? I'm not going to be distracted. My people are suffering. Who is realpastorbrian.com #lgbt🌈 #blm #republican #gop #democrat #realissues #share #duet

In Orange County, Rep. Katie Porter has gained over 300,000 followers on the platform even while her account primarily reposts videos of media appearances. San Fernando Valley Rep. Tony Cárdenas shows off a staffer’s dog, grabs an electric vehicle charger and highlights bills that have passed in his TikTok videos that have earned thousands of views. In the Inland Empire, Republican congressional candidate Brian Hawkins often speaks directly to the camera as he urges people to focus on “real issues.” And when he does, he is speaking to an audience of nearly 115,000 people.

Even those seeking less-known political office are gaining traction one lip-synching video at a time. In Los Angeles, city controller candidate Kenneth Mejia has gained 9,000 followers through trending audios and dances.

Shayanne Wright, a candidate running for the Mesa Water District Board in Costa Mesa first started her account in February. She’s since posted once a day to build up her 1,516 followers. Wright admits that policy-specific videos get little traction. But her day-in-the-life videos have gone viral, such as one showing off potential photo shoot outfits that has gained over 34,000 views.

“I think people would be surprised how powerful the algorithm is, and something I really like about creating content on TikTok is that you know it's going to land in front of a similar audience,” Wright says.

@shayanne4costamesa
Running for office feels like i literally learn something new everyday! 🤓 #localpolitics #secretaryofstate #ballot #womeninpolitics #costamesa #orangecounty #politics #democrat #vote #election #localgovernment

At 25, if Wright wins, she’ll be the youngest elected official in Costa Mesa. She says being young and a native social media user has helped leverage TikTok to her benefit. She tries to jump on trends before they grow stale, and she says she finds ways to make them more professional—a Nicki Minaj song can accompany campaign photos and a Steve Lacy song can be in the background of door-to-door canvassing.

To her credit, Wright doesn’t believe that TikTok following is necessarily an indication of her campaign’s success. But it has brought in donations and supporters, including five volunteers who found her through the platform.

To similar ends, Jurupa Valley City Council candidate Armando Carmona often posts about hyperlocal issues. His first few videos to take off since beginning his account in August highlighted his childhood in Jurupa Valley and outlined how he wants to aid the community. Since then, he has earned 1,557 followers, many of whom are young people in Jurupa Valley.

“Voters are looking for leaders and representatives that they're going to be able to communicate with in their own terms and in their own ways,” he says. “The new way of communicating with large amounts of people is through social media.”

Platforms like TikTok have become crucial for his campaign to reach people, as he says Jurupa Valley is limited in traditional media outlets.

“We started posting on TikTok because there's a void of information, and there's a lot of folks that are very interested in what's happening in their community,” Carmona says.

But amassing thousands of followers doesn’t always translate to thousands of voters. Kousser says TikTok can make it hard to foster a loyal base. Its finicky algorithm doesn’t always push videos to people who follow a user, and it is less focused on cultivating a social network. Not to mention, political concerns around privacy can put some candidates in a tricky position—using the app seems to be crucial for reaching young voters, but further measures taken against TikTok could make some candidates’ usage appear hypocritical.

But one thing is clear, Gen Z isn’t going to ditch the app anytime soon. Which is why, for the time being, Kousser says, local politicians should be asking themselves two questions. First, are these eyeballs winning votes? And second, are these eyeballs in my district?

From Your Site Articles

Subscribe to our newsletter to catch every headline.

mobility

A Digital License Plate in California Will Cost You $215 Per Year

Steve Huff

Steve Huff is an Editor and Reporter at dot.LA. Steve was previously managing editor for The Metaverse Post and before that deputy digital editor for Maxim magazine. He has written for Inside Hook, Observer and New York Mag. Steve is the author of two official tie-ins books for AMC’s hit “Breaking Bad” prequel, “Better Call Saul.” He’s also a classically-trained tenor and has performed with opera companies and orchestras all over the Eastern U.S. He lives in the greater Boston metro area with his wife, educator Dr. Dana Huff.

A Digital License Plate in California Will Cost You $215 Per Year

Photo by Clayton Cardinalli on Unsplash

Thanks to a new bill passed on October 5, California drivers now have the choice to chuck their traditional metal license plates and replace them with digital ones.

The plates are referred to as “Rplate” and were developed by Sacramento-based Reviver. A news release on Reviver’s website that accompanied the bill’s passage states that there are “two device options enabling vehicle owners to connect their vehicle with a suite of services including in-app registration renewal, visual personalization, vehicle location services and security features such as easily reporting a vehicle as stolen.”

These Are LA's Top Venture Capitalists of 2022, According to Their Fellow VCs

Terms Privacy Copyright Cookies

Get Your Tickets for the 2022 dot.LA Summit!

Subscribe to our newsletter to catch every headline.

A Digital License Plate in California Will Cost You $215 Per Year

Your Guide to the dot.LA Summit 2022

October 20th (Doors Open at 5 pm PST):

October 21st (Doors Open at 7:30 am PST):

TikTok Joins Forces with Cyversity for Minority Scholarship Cybersecurity Training Program

Would Biden's Proposed AI 'Bill of Rights' Be Effective—Or Just More Virtue Signaling?

Venture Deals in LA Rebound Slightly in Q3, but VCs Remain Cautious

Would Biden's Proposed AI 'Bill of Rights' Be Effective—Or Just More Virtue Signaling?

Can the Grid Survive the Coming Onslaught of Electric Vehicles?

‘Try Before You Buy’: Transportation-As-a-Service Startups Are Booming In SoCal

The Existential Crisis Plaguing Tech’s Cohabitation Incubators

Content Marketing Lead

Tango

Ecommerce Merchandising Manager

Ritual

Account Executive - Data Sales

Crexi

Revenue Systems/Salesforce Architect

Crexi

Do Lithium-Ion Batteries Have a Fire Problem?

These Are LA's Top Venture Capitalists of 2022, According to Their Fellow VCs

Why EVs Are Catching Fire After Hurricane Ian

How a Text Helped California Dodge Rolling Blackouts

Follow Us: