Earlier this week, Travis Barker’s daughter, Alabama Barker, went viral after making some divisive comments about voting.
Alabama, who turned 18 last December, admitted during a social media livestream that she has no plans to vote in the upcoming US presidential election because she isn’t “fully educated” on the subject.
“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,” she began.
“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?” she questioned.
While Alabama acknowledged that she “could educate” herself ahead of the election, she asked, “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, adding 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 said.
Alabama reiterated that she has an “opinion” on the running candidates, though she didn’t explicitly name Kamala Harris or Donald Trump.
“I have an opinion on what I feel is right because of what I’ve been seeing. And I feel like one of the voters is just a mess. I mean, one of the — sorry — one of the people, the runners, candidates. See? I’m telling you, I’m not educated. I’m a little bit stupid,” she said.
A social media user then commented on the livestream that Alabama’s “privilege is showing,” to which the 18-year-old replied, “Like, what? Because I don’t want to vote? I’m not educated on it. Maybe next year I’ll vote.”
Of course, presidential elections in the US take place every four years.
Several internet users branded Alabama “privileged” and “ignorant” for her remarks, and now, she’s addressed the heavy backlash in a new Instagram statement.
“I would like to clarify my recent statements regarding voting, which have been widely discussed on various social media platforms,” she began.
“My primary concern is that I do not feel adequately informed about either candidate, nor do I feel entirely satisfied with either option,” she wrote.
“I acknowledge that during a recent live stream, I mistakenly mentioned next year’s election; I realize elections occur every four years, and I understand how this may appear insensitive or uninformed. I am committed to educating myself further on this matter,” she concluded.
