• by Philip Rosenstein , Staff Writer, June 1, 2016

MTV, the cable hub for reality TV, entered the political ring this morning with a bang.

A new initiative, “Elect This,” aims to create a platform for “[MTV’s] audience [to] connect with the issues that matter to them in an election season dominated by personalities over policy, and scandal over substance.”

The approach taken by MTV is based on a national MTV study of how different age groups are viewing the 2016 election. The survey found that 92% of millennial respondents agree with the statement: “This election is like a bad reality show” — with 74% noting that they are embarrassed by the 2016 cycle.

Interestingly, a huge 93% of millennial respondents believe that “this election should be about issues.”

MTV is trying to fulfill that charge. “Elect This” will include a host of original content platforms that “satirize the punditry and illuminate the truth behind the talking points,” according to a company statement.

The first two original series are “Infographica,” a short-form animated show discussing MTV’s own polling data on hyper-topical issues, and “Robo-Roundtable,” consisting of four animatronic robots that give “real youth voices a national stage.”

Partnering with Change.org and Tumblr, MTV is making a powerful statement to its audience and the larger political community: Millennials care about politics, the issues, and want to be heard.

The Change.org relationship will offer young people the opportunity to launch petitions.

The first highlighted petitions will focus on LGBT issues, with the onset of Pride Month. Tumblr will help encourage users to take political action, reach out to activists and well as connect with celebrities and other young people affected by the confluence of issues in question this cycle.

Possibly, the most intriguing part of the “Elect this” forum will be a weekly polling report about how sentiment among millennials is changing as we close in on the conventions in July and the general election in November.

According to a MediaPost research brief, voters under 40 will make up 30% of the general electorate. Tapping into that demographic, particularly the younger section, will be of the utmost importance for general election candidates, as will understanding what makes them tick.

MTV has provided the platform for millions of new American voices to be heard; let’s hope our politicians hear them, too.