An Open Letter to YouTube: Let Political Discourse Be Seen

To the YouTube Team,

I am writing to you not just as a content creator, but as a candidate for Prime Minister of Australia. My campaign, under the Emergence Party, is dedicated to democratic reform, digital rights, and ensuring that Australians have real choices in their elections. However, I am facing a serious issue—YouTube is not recommending my political campaign videos to the public, effectively silencing my voice and restricting democratic engagement.

In Australia, voting is compulsory. This means that every single Australian must participate in elections, whether they feel informed or not. Given this reality, it is critical that all political voices have a fair opportunity to reach the public—not just major parties with media dominance or large advertising budgets.

Yet, despite uploading multiple campaign videos, ensuring they follow all YouTube guidelines, and promoting issues that affect every voter, my content receives no organic reach. YouTube’s algorithm refuses to recommend my videos, making it impossible to connect with voters unless I pay for every single view.

This raises an important question: Should access to democratic discourse be controlled by financial barriers?

The Role of YouTube in Democracy

In today’s digital world, YouTube is one of the most powerful platforms for political engagement and public discussion. People no longer rely solely on traditional media for political information—they turn to online platforms to discover new perspectives, policies, and candidates.

However, when YouTube’s algorithm actively suppresses political content from independent candidates, it creates a dangerous imbalance in the democratic process:

🚫 Major parties dominate the conversation while independent candidates struggle for visibility.

🚫 Voters are denied access to alternative perspectives that could influence their decision-making.

🚫 Elections become pay-to-play, where only those with large budgets can afford visibility.

This is not just a technical issue—it is a threat to democratic fairness.

What Needs to Change?

The Emergence Party is calling for YouTube to take immediate action to ensure that all political candidates—independent or otherwise—have fair access to visibility on the platform.

We ask YouTube to:

1. Ensure fair organic reach for political content

YouTube should not suppress political videos simply because they come from lesser-known candidates.

All political content should be equally considered by the recommendation algorithm.

2. Provide transparency on political content distribution

YouTube should clarify how political content is ranked and recommended to ensure that no bias exists against independent candidates.

3. Support democratic engagement, not limit it

In countries with compulsory voting like Australia, YouTube has a responsibility to provide diverse political perspectives, not just mainstream options.

Voters deserve the right to hear from all candidates—not just those with advertising budgets.

A Call for Fairness in Digital Democracy

If YouTube truly believes in fostering free speech and democratic engagement, then all political candidates should have a fair opportunity to reach the public organically. Right now, independent voices are being silenced by an algorithm, and that is not how a fair election should operate.

I urge YouTube to acknowledge this issue and take meaningful steps toward transparency and fairness in its content distribution.

Democracy should not be decided by who can afford to be seen—it should be about ensuring that every voter has access to the full range of political choices available to them.

Sincerely,

Wendell

Candidate for Prime Minister of Australia

Emergence Party

🔗 wendellsdiary.com