The Republican Party has historically struggled to reach young voters, in addition to other demographics. It is one of the reasons why it has been painted as the party of “old white men.” But now, it appears the party plans to expand its horizons.

The Republican National Committee (RNC) has unveiled plans to attract more young voters in preparation for the 2024 election with the creation of a Youth Advisory Council, according to a report from Breitbart News. The council, co-chaired by representatives Mike Lawler (R-NY) and Kat Cammack (R-FL), will focus on communication, social media, and field operations.

The council’s primary goal is to engage with young voters and amplify the Republican Party’s message to entice them to vote for Republican candidates. RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel emphasized the importance of engaging with young voters early and frequently, highlighting the council’s role in conveying the party’s values of freedom, personal responsibility, and the future. She told Breitbart News that the GOP needs “to be engaging with young voters earlier, more often, and in different ways than ever before.”

In a similar vein, President Joe Biden and the Democrats are reportedly planning to rely on an “army” of online influencers for their re-election campaign, recognizing the significance of young voters in elections. Meanwhile, the RNC is hosting a “Rising Stars” training event to facilitate networking among young, high-achieving, politically involved Republicans. The event includes various speakers, such as Burgess Owens, Juan Ciscomani, and James Moylan, who emphasized the Republican Party’s commitment to engaging with new audiences and investing in the youth.

I couldn’t be more excited to be co-chairing this new effort by the @GOP to reach Gen Z and young voters alongside my friend @BrilynHollyhand.

To win in 2024, efforts like this will be crucial and I’m excited to roll up my sleeves and get to work.
https://t.co/2H6SEVB9Pk

— CJ Pearson (@thecjpearson) May 10, 2023

However, some are skeptical of the RNC’s new initiative and have suggested that it is more of an attempt to appeal to donors than an authentic effort to reach a new swath of voters.

Jason Belich, a software developer and expert on Big Data, told RedState that this new initiative might not be as sincere as the RNC would have us believe. He said, “This whole thing is a performative marionette play for the donors and will have absolutely no impact in any way that they claim.”

Belich noted that the Democrats have a distinct advantage, especially when using social media to reach younger voters. “Democrat data processes, handed to them by Big Tech, are so far ahead of the GOP’s it’s like someone dropped the modern US Navy into 1941,” he explained.

He continued:

The Republican national apparatus, and the RNC specifically, does not comprehend the data sophistication that the Democrats are employing with their influencer ops. Democrats, gifted by Big Tech, funnel data from these influencer campaigns directly into their ballot harvesting data operation…they use highly sophisticated machine learning algorithms and comprehensive multi-dimensional data management to target their voters at the individual level where response data from these influencer ops have an outsized value.

By way of contrast, he noted that the GOP “uses two-dimensional database tables, badly” and said that even though the RNC is enlisting good people for the initiative, it is “utterly incapable of generating any value from the program,” which he says is “nothing more than a performative marionette dance to make Ronna [McDaniel] look good for the donors.”

Mahgdalen Rose, host of The Rose Report and a political affairs correspondent for The Crusade Channel, also expressed doubts about the program. As a Gen Zer, she has been one of the leading voices trying to persuade the GOP to take the younger demographic more seriously. She told RedState:

Unless this Youth Advisory Council is willing to completely, continuously, and publicly call out and acknowledge the failures of the RNC from past election cycles, as well as current leadership issues, there will be no impact other than RNC and GOP leadership being able to point to this lackluster Youth Advisory Council when their donors (frustrated at another lost election) inevitably question what exactly the RNC did to attempt to win the youth vote in the 2024 election.

Belich expressed similar sentiments. “I know [Republicans] want younger voters, but they’re ignorant of what would work… and the incentive is not for success, but for more donations,” he said. “And the GOP is generally beholden to the consultants, who will happily burn down the whole party to preserve their revenue streams.”

He added, “This is a ‘party’ that spent $17 million in ‘donor mementos’….victory isn’t their incentive.”

Tyler Bowyer, RNC National Committeeman from Arizona and Chief Operating Officer at Turning Point Action, also expressed skepticism about the new initiative, saying, “Most of the RNC members had no idea about this committee.”

“I run one of the largest youth organizations in the conservative movement and wasn’t even contacted by the RNC to contribute,” Bowyer explained. “We have many younger members on the RNC and the Chairwoman doesn’t even involve us. It’s pretty embarrassing when donors and activists ask and we have no idea about anything going on, especially when it’s on a subject that is your life’s work.”