RAINN is partnering with MTV to engage millennial voters and raise the visibility of sexual violence as part of MTV’s Elect This campaign. The campaign tackles tough social issues that matter to millennials in the upcoming election.
Historically, MTV’s election year campaigns and partnerships have focused on young voter turnout and registration, such as Choose or Lose and Rock the Vote. This cycle’s campaign takes a different approach. Research shows that while millennials are growing apathetic about politics, they are passionate and issue-driven. Following this insight, Elect This focuses on education and online engagement about key issues that matter most to millennials—issues like sexual violence.
Ronnie Cho, Vice President and head of Public Affairs at MTV, sought RAINN as a partner for Elect This from the start. “Whenever MTV launches a new prosocial campaign,” he explains, “we seek out experts from best in class organizations to utilize their subject matter expertise and resources to get help. RAINN is the organization of record when it comes to issues of rape and sexual violence and we couldn’t be more grateful to have them as a partner as we address these issues with our audience.”
As the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization, RAINN sees public education as an important part of its mission and frequently partners with the media and entertainment industries to influence the way the public thinks about and responds to sexual violence.
“MTV has been an important partner of RAINN’s from the start, helping us to raise the visibility of the National Sexual Assault Hotline when we created it in 1994,” said Scott Berkowitz, president and founder of RAINN. He hopes that by giving millennials the information they need to engage with these issues, they will help advocate for legislation that will facilitate justice in sexual violence cases.
Elect This makes it easy for millennials to do just that, thanks to partner organization Change.org. RAINN collaborated with survivors Maya Weinstein and Wendy Guidry to develop Change.org petitions supporting two key pieces of anti-sexual violence legislation:
- Join Maya in signing the petition for the Campus Accountability Safety Act (CASA), which will help improve how colleges respond to sexual violence on campus. The bill will improve support services for students, increase transparency, and establish procedures to better respond to sexual violence.
- Join Wendy in signing the petition for the Justice for All Reauthorization Act of 2016 (JFAA), which was recently passed by the Senate and is heading to the House of Representatives. JFAA will lead to more DNA testing of rape kits, as well as provide protections for victims.
Young voters everywhere can visit Elect This to learn more about the campaign, take action on key issues, and become an informed voter heading into the upcoming election.
If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual violence, it’s not your fault. You are not alone. Help is available 24/7 through the National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-HOPE and online.rainn.org, y en español: rainn.org/es.