Political Texts or Scantily Clad Pics? Both.
The New York Times
Before Wisconsin’s election, a right-wing group rallied for voters’ attention with unauthorized photos of Emily Ratajkowski and a shirtless man holding a dog.
In urging “disaffected patriots” to head to the polls on Tuesday and cast ballots in Wisconsin’s election, the political advocacy group Look Ahead America relied partly on a fairly perfunctory get-out-the-vote strategy: It spammed about 250,000 residents on Monday with a text message that reminded them of the issues at stake.
That text message came with a twist: It was accompanied by a provocative photo catered to the gender of the intended recipient.
Men received a photo of Emily Ratajkowski — a supermodel and a longtime supporter of Bernie Sanders — in a bikini, while women received a photo of a topless man cradling a puppy. The photo of the shirtless man was created for the 2015 edition of the “Hunks and Hounds” annual calendar.
“Now that we have your attention,” the text read, “a critical special election is happening TOMORROW!”
In the election, Wisconsin voters approved an amendment to the state’s constitution to strengthen a current law requiring photo identification at the polls — a measure that Look Ahead America supported — while electing a liberal candidate to a pivotal seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Matt Braynard, the executive director of Look Ahead America, said in an email that the organization had “conducted studies that have proven that using eye-catching images not typically associated with politics increase voter awareness of elections and voter participation.”
