‘Me Too’ leader launches voter mobilization effort on anniversary of movement

Tarana Burke, the founder of the “Me Too” movement, is launching a voter mobilization campaign on the second anniversary of the hashtag going viral.

The Associated Press reported Tuesday that Burke unveiled the hashtag #MeTooVoter to reflect frustration about the lack of discussion of sexual misconduct from presidential candidates.

{mosads}“You can’t have 12 million people respond to a hashtag in this country and they not be constituents, taxpayers and voters,” Burke told the AP. “We need these candidates to see us as a power base. So many people engage with survivors from a place of pity.”

She told the wire service that no Democratic candidates have spoken with her about their platforms, which she said is indicative of a lack of urgency. Burke added that she doesn’t expect sexual violence to come up at Tuesday night’s Democratic debate, but hopes the hashtag will lead to questions at other events.

In an op-ed last week for Time, Burke called for more discussion among the presidential candidates about sexual violence.

“October marks the 2nd anniversary of the #MeToo hashtag & the start of a monumental shift. It rose awareness, but we demand more,” she tweeted last week. “I wrote this op-ed for @TIME in light of the upcoming #DemDebate. We are voting for accountability in 2020. #MeTooVoter.”

October marks the 2nd anniversary of the #MeToo hashtag & the start of a monumental shift. It rose awareness, but we demand more. I wrote this op-ed for @TIME in light of the upcoming #DemDebate. We are voting for accountability in 2020. #MeTooVoter https://t.co/yV8wpKoVd1

— Tarana (@TaranaBurke) October 10, 2019

The Me Too movement aims to end sexual misconduct and offer support to survivors. It gained popularity in the wake of high-profile allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein in 2017 and expanded amid similar accusations against men in other industries.