"Right now, it is beyond apparent that we have work to do in this country. We are living in a nation on fire, with division taking the spotlight. BIPOC and LGBTQ rights are at risk of being rolled back, Black and Brown children are being targeted by ICE, and young people are being pushed toward apathy or frozen by fear. Meanwhile, our leaders appear more focused on wars that benefit the powerful than on the urgent needs of everyday people. All of this forces us to ask: where do we begin when it comes to activating political awareness and engagement among underrepresented youth? And where is the moral courage, within our youth and within our music community, to stand up, to resist, and to fight for a future that serves us all?
The truth is, there is strength in numbers, especially when young people show up to vote. There is power in peaceful protest, and there is undeniable value in simply being heard. Because the alternative is not neutral. It is passive acceptance, and ultimately, loss.
That’s why our work is focused on helping young people take that first step toward involvement. It starts with awareness, but it leads to action—specifically, voting for regional and national leaders who shape the world they are inheriting. With the 2026 election approaching, the stakes could not be higher. This moment is crucial." - Cameron Lavi-Jones
We are proud to stand aligned with Indivisible at both the regional and national level, considering that the time to act is now. One of the most immediate ways to get involved is by showing up, starting with the nationwide No Kings Rally on March 28, 2026. This is a moment to stand with thousands of others across the country and make your presence felt. But don't let a one-time event be the end of your involvement. From there, take the next step by making sure you are registered to vote. Knowing where and how to register is essential, and having the right resources removes the barriers that keep too many young people from participating. But action doesn’t stop at participation; it grows through involvement. We encourage you to go deeper by learning more, staying informed, and signing up to volunteer. Whether it’s helping organize, spreading awareness, or supporting local efforts, your voice becomes even more powerful when you put it into motion.
King Youngblood, alongside Cameron Lavi-Jones, will take this movement on the road, traveling across the United States throughout the summer and leading up to the November 2026 election. Through a combination of tour dates and pop-up performances, they will meet young people where they are, turning music into a vehicle for action. At every stop, the mission is clear: help register youth to vote, provide accessible resources, and inspire a new generation to step into their power. This is about more than performance; it’s about participation. By connecting culture with civic engagement, the goal is to ensure that young people are not just watching the future unfold, but actively shaping it, making their voices heard loudly in elections at both the regional and national level.
Make Yourself Heard Loud and Vote is a project we initiated in 2018 to encourage high school and college-aged youth to register to vote in Washington State. This is a non-partisan effort to inspire young people to exercise their right to vote.
History shows that ever since 18-year-olds were given the right to vote in 1972, youth have been underrepresented at the polls. However, this is starting to change. The Census found that 36 percent of citizens ages 18-29 reported voting in last year’s midterm elections, jumping 16 percentage points since 2014 (when turnout was 20 percent) and easily surpassing any midterm election since the 1980s. Young people have the opportunity to make a difference by exercising their right to vote.
When we started, our focus was to drive youth voter participation in the 2018 midterm elections. We took our musical message directly to students via a series of performances on the back of a flatbed truck at local high schools and colleges. The results were impressive. Make Your Voice Heard Loud and Vote helped register more than 3,200 new voters during the tour, which had bipartisan support from Senator Lisa Wellman (Democrat) and Kim Wyman (Republican) along with sponsorship from Washington Bus, APACE, the King County Department of Elections, and a sizable grant from the League of Women Voters.
Learn more about what started it all below.
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the inaugural tour (2018)
KING YOUNGBLOOD REGISTERS MORE THAN 3,200 PEOPLE TO VOTE DURING TOUR OF LOCAL SCHOOLS AND RELEASES MUSICAL MESSAGE TO ENCOURAGE YOUTH TO VOTE
Seattle alt-rock band, King Youngblood (formerly Gypsy Temple) releases lyrics, chords, and video for “Make Your Voice Heard Loud and Vote” and asks fans to create their own version to mobilize the youth vote.
SEATTLE WA | November 2, 2018 – As King Youngblood, an up-and-coming alt-rock band in Seattle, wraps up their Make Your Voice Heard Loud Tour, a series of performances on the back of a flatbed truck at local high schools and colleges, the band has released a musical message to encourage youth to vote.
Over the past month, King Youngblood has played at high schools and community colleges across Washington, including at Burlington-Edison HS, Newport HS, Shorecrest HS, Mount Si HS, Eastlake HS, Bellevue HS, and Shoreline Community College, while volunteers helped students, parents, and teachers register to vote, not to mention encouraged them to mail in their ballots.
Tour organizers estimate that more than 3,000 people registered to vote during the tour, which had bipartisan support from Senator Lisa Wellman (Democrat) and Kim Wyman (Republican), along with sponsorship from Washington Bus, APACE, the King County Department of Elections, and a sizable grant from the League of Women Voters.
The final performance is scheduled for 12 pm on Monday, November 5th, at South Puget Sound Community College in Olympia, giving elected officials and candidates a chance to join in the pre-election excitement.
“This tour is incredibly important to me,” said then 19-year old, Cameron Lavi-Jones who founded King Youngblood. “Young people get to see other young people making a difference, and this gives them the confidence that they have the knowledge and skills to make a difference too,” he said. Lavi-Jones pointed out that with only 20 to 22 percent of registered youth voters actually voting, this campaign is equally about encouraging young voters to commit to mailing their ballots in by November 6th.
“Years or months down the line, regardless of the outcome of the election, everyone who has been part of this tour will know that we at least did something. We made an effort, and we woke some people up.”