This election featured Kamala Harris on music quiz show Track Star, Donald Trump joining TikTok, Tim Walz jogging through New York's Central Park with Kate Mackz and JD Vance making beer jokes. With the candidates and their running mates going big on TikTok, it makes sense that its users — who are predominantly Gen Z — would be getting political on the social media platform too. On Election Day, a few trends emerged, like a timely twist on a classic such as "Get ready to go vote with me" to a new one: "canceling out each other's votes." Here's a look at the 2024 election on TikTok.
‘Get ready with me to go vote’
Before heading to the polls, voters shared videos of their “getting ready” routines. True to the “Get Ready With Me” form, creators shared footage of putting on makeup, doing their hair and picking out a sometimes patriotic outfit.
"As a first-time woman voter, the opportunity to vote means so much to me," Chantelle, 20, wrote. Wearing a "Kindness" sweatshirt, she filmed herself putting on blush and filling in her brows.
"Even when I'm pulling up to the polls, I'm pulling up pretty," Bey, a 23-year-old first-time voter and new citizen, said.
"I'm not proud of 22-year-old me, nor 18-year-old me but 26-year-old me is voting to not set this country back 50 years," Jenny, 26, wrote.
"People are going to go crazy with whoever wins," Elisha, who wore a red shirt, said.
"Grwm to vote for Donald Trump," Hailie wrote.
‘On my way to cancel out…’
The “On my way to cancel out…” trend sees TikTok users sharing whose vote — a relative or friend — they intend on canceling out in hopes of helping their preferred presidential candidate win. The trend, which is often used ironically, boasts more than 393,000 videos on the social media platform and features a snippet from Billy Joel’s “Piano Man.”
"Peter got blocked from Trump's social media due to excessive trolling," Lia shared of her dad.
Jillian Roney claims to have the "coolest dad in the world."
This young woman is "so proud" of her Republican dad.
"I like being the woman in the relationship," Syd said.
‘Show me something in your house that tells me who you’re voting for’
The "Show me something in your house that tells me who you're voting for" trend has users panning to an item or object in their homes that signifies the candidate they are voting for. Harris voters chose cats and Converse Chuck Taylors, for example, while Trump voters often referred to Bibles and garbage bags.
Susie, who started the trend, panned to her cat.
A Pennsylvania-based mom put on a garbage bag to show her support for Trump. "I had to do it," she wrote.
A New England resident showed a pair of Converse Chuck Taylors.
Fallon said that the Bible is "the book for me."
Samantha "voted blue" for her daughter.
‘And suddenly the words came out of my mouth’
Soundtracked to Olivia Rodrigo’s 2021 track “Deja Vu,” the “And suddenly the words came out of my mouth” trend has creators sharing who they’re choosing to vote for and why it is or isn’t a departure from what they expected. A former Trump staffer acknowledged that it was “weird” to think that she became a “Harris voter” while another creator said she’d always “dreamed of” voting for Trump.
"Didn't have being a Trump staffer to a Harris voter on my bingo card," Sarah Matthews wrote. Matthews describes herself as a "Republican in exile."
Isabella is still "the same girl that loved Trump from the beginning."
"I always knew what I stood for and that nobody would ever take that away from me," Elena, who wants to see the "first female president," wrote.
Gabby claims she'll "proudly be 'garbage'" to ensure a "safe, healthy country" for her family.
‘If you wanna go and be stupid…’
Creators are using Sabrina Carpenter’s 2024 single “Please Please Please” to articulate their disapproval of those who neglect to vote during the presidential election. Many of the TikTok users hopping on this trend are critical of voter apathy. “Ignorance is ugly,” a TikTok user wrote.
Mary said the argument, "'I'm not voting [because] they both suck,'" is "ignorant."
"[You're] part of the problem, unfortunately," Taylor wrote of people who are able to vote but choose not to.
Tabi thinks "ignorance is ugly."
"To have the privilege to 'not care' is insane," Teniola wrote.
Linaye urges Tiktok users to "please vote."