Leonardo DiCaprio and Selena Gomez Want You to "Vote 4 Stuff," So You Will

A new PSA also features Tobey Maguire, Ellen DeGeneres, Sarah Silverman and others

By Leslie Gornstein Oct 02, 2012 12:45 AMTags

Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and Selena Gomez are trying to get younger people, like me, I guess, to vote. I don't care if stars want me to vote, so will this work?
—Aubree, Oklahoma, via Facebook

Right now you're thinking that those new PSAs from the stars of Titanic, Spider-Man and Wizards of Waverly Place—along with Jonah Hill, Sarah Silverman and Ellen DeGeneres—cannot possibly have an influence on what you'll be doing on Nov. 6. You'll do whatever you want on Nov. 6, dammit.

But you're wrong. These people are worming their way into your subconscious as I write. By the time voting day comes around, you will be camped out in front of your local church/school/community center bright and early and ready to make your political wishes known. Because The Leo wills it. And I can prove it.

In the new PSA, called, intelligently enough, "Vote 4 Stuff," Leo promises youth that you can vote for "anything you want."

"Dogs will pick up my poop with a plastic bag," Hill also suggests. "See how they like it."

Well, no. Not really. You can vote for any number of people on a list. But still, the point is clear: You have choices.

But does the message work? After all, Leo is not the dreamy young string bean he was in Titanic, and Tobey hasn't painted himself into a skintight hero suit in five years. Both are 37, not exactly peers to the group they're trying to influence.

But according to people who know, they—along with the more obvious Gomez—still have a hold on people of college age.

"We live in an era where younger voters don't generally like, trust or look up to politicians, but they view A-list celebs with great reverence," Republican strategist and former presidential campaign advisor Ford O'Connell tells me. "While this video may seem odd to older voters, it is still more effective for the president than delivering a policy speech on the issues."

(The campaign is nonpartisan, but O'Connell, for his part, says the video will do much more good for President Barack Obama than challenger Mitt Romney.)

And in case that isn't enough proof for ya, fine: Maybe you'll trust some numbers.

Among young people between 18 and 24, a whopping 95 percent know who Leo is, according to the Davie Brown Index. And yes, that's big. After all, only 76 percent know who Tobey is. Still, both of the actors are considered very influential to about 73 percent of the population surveyed by the DBI—73 percent who may or may not vote otherwise.

So go out and vote next month, if for no other reason, it'll make Leo happy. And we all know that his happiness is all you think about, ever.