Alabama Barker is now old enough to vote, but she “genuinely” doesn’t “care” about the upcoming presidential election.
The 18-year-old daughter of Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and former beauty pageant queen Shanna Moakler recently went live on Instagram to let her followers know she would not be casting a ballot next month for anyone, including Republican candidate Donald Trump or Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
“It’s kinda immature if I talk about it and I’m not fully educated, but I do have an opinion, and I’ll keep it to myself,” Alabama explained in the selfie-style video.
“Not voting isn’t crazy, in my opinion, at all because if I don’t feel like I have the exact education for what I’m voting for, how is it right for me to vote for something I’m not completely educated on?”
Though Barker “could educate” herself on the candidates, platforms and issues, she feels it would be pointless.
“Why am I doing that if I genuinely really don’t care? I’m just honest. I don’t care to vote if I don’t know exactly what’s going on. I don’t think that’s wrong. And I completely stand on that, and I stand by it,” she said.
Alabama went on to remind fans that she “just turned 18” and “never voted before.”
“We all know this. You can’t vote until you’re 18. I’ve never voted. If I don’t want to vote, I don’t have to vote. And if I don’t want to be in politics, I don’t have to be in politics,” she argued, reiterating that she doesn’t want to do her “research” or “educate” herself on something that doesn’t interest her.
“I do have an opinion,” she again noted. “I have an opinion on what I feel is right because of what I’ve been seeing. And just, like, I feel like one of the voters is just a mess. I mean, one of the — sorry — one of the people, the runners, [the] candidates. See? I’m telling you, I’m not educated. I’m a little bit stupid.”
Someone watching the livestream commented in real time that the teen’s “privilege is showing,” to which she replied, “Like, what? Because I don’t want to vote? I’m not educated on it. Maybe next year I’ll vote.”
The Shade Room snagged a screen recording of the video and posted it Wednesday, which drew lots of opinions in the comments section.
“Maybe next year? Yea baby, get educated first 😭,” one of many critics remarked, given that presidential elections take place every four years.
“She doesn’t care because of her privilege, either outcome won’t disrupt her life,” one of several dissenters pointed out, while someone else elaborated, “A young woman born into wealth knows that whoever wins this election doesn’t affect her daddy’s bank account.”