#WTF: Voting For Nudes
Popular YouTube vlogger and model Tana Mongeau has announced a controversial plan to garner votes for presidential candidate Joe Biden. In a recent Twitter post, Mongeau offered free nude photos to any constituent who can prove they cast a vote for Biden. The now-deleted tweet, which was tagged #bootyforbiden, included a link to Mongeau’s Only Fans account. Following this initial tweet, Mongeau also updated her Instagram with a swimsuit photo she had edited to include Biden’s face imposed over her own.
Following these posts, TMZ reported that Mongeau’s YouTube channel had lost its official verification status. The news outlet speculated that this change occurred due to the fact that her posts violate U.S electoral law. As her nude campaign offers a product in exchange for votes, Mongeau technically committed the felony of vote buying. Any person who photographs his or her ballot is also committing a felony. Although uncommon, the process of photographing a filled ballot can be cast under the umbrella of vote buying. Some activists have argued that voter selfies are protected by The First Amendment but the legal ground is still shaky.
The verification process, which simply confirms channel ownership, can also be revoked due to issues with a person’s official identity. As Mongeau recently divorced fellow YouTuber Jake Paul, it is possible that her legal name change might have removed her verification temporarily. As of now, Mongeau’s verification has been restored. Neither Mongeau nor the YouTube platform has commented on her loss of verification. Mongeau’s actions have not drawn any noticeable changes on the Only Fans platform. As the Only Fans platform has recently come under fire for the actions of actress Bella Thorne, there has been some concern that Mongeau’s actions could generate further issues on the platform. The Biden campaign has not responded to the #bootyforbiden campaign.