Taylor Swift is using her influence to urge her fans to vote — and it's having an impact.
On Tuesday, September 19, during National Voter Registration Day, the 33-year-old singer took her Instagram platform to urge her 272 million followers to register for voting. "Are you registered to vote yet?" she wrote on her Instagram Story, along with a link to Vote.org, a non-profit organization that helps people register and vote.
"I've been so lucky to see so many of you guys at my US shows recently. I've heard you raise your voices and know how powerful they are. Make sure you're ready to use them in our elections this year!"
The 'Blank Space' singer's loyal fans responded enthusiastically to her call to action. According to Nick Morrow, communications director for Vote.org, the website saw an average of 13,000 users every half hour after Swift's post.
"Let's just say her reputation for being a mastermind is very well-earned," Morrow said on X.
The next day, Vote.org CEO Andrea Hailey shared more details on X. She said that Swift's posts resulted in 35,000 new voter registrations — a 22.5 percent increase from 2022 and a 115 percent increase in registrations by 18-year-olds compared to last year. She also said that 50,000 users verified their registration status. "May these stats serve as our love letter to you for amplifying voter voices!" Hailey said.
Swift had refrained from sharing her political perspectives in the past, a choice that garnered critique from certain fans, particularly during the 2016 presidential contest featuring Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
However, in 2018, she broke her silence.
She publicly supported Tennessee's Democratic Senate candidate Phil Bredesen and slammed his Republican rival, then U.S. Representative Marsha Blackburn, for her anti-LGBTQ and anti-women positions.
"In the past, I've been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, but due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years, I feel very differently about that now," she said in an Instagram post in October 2018.
"I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG," she continued. "I believe that the systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color is terrifying, sickening and prevalent. I cannot vote for someone who will not be willing to fight for dignity for ALL Americans, no matter their skin color, gender or who they love."
Swift also endorsed President Joe Biden for the 2020 presidential campaign.