Following Taylor Swift’s overdue debut into the arena of political opinion, there was a HUGE spike in voter registration in her home state Tennessee and nationwide just in time for the midterm election.
Swift’s detailed Instagram post denounced her state’s Republican nominee, announced her support for two Democrat nominees, and finished with a call to action to her fans to register and get informed about the candidates.
“So many intelligent, thoughtful, self-possessed people have turned 18 in the past two years and now have the right and privilege to make their vote count. But first you need to register, which is quick and easy to do. October 9th is the LAST DAY to register to vote in the state of TN. Go to vote.org and you can find all the info. Happy Voting!”
Swift was infamously silent during the 2016 Trump vs. Clinton election and widely criticised for not using her influence to denounce Donald Trump.
And if you ever doubted the level of impact her influence would have actually had, the voter registration stats prove that she’s mighty powerful.
the fact that Taylor Swift liked this post on tumblr? ICONIC. Queen of drop kicking Republicans ?? pic.twitter.com/JeeXMIEX8z
— britt? (@brittrattt) October 9, 2018
According to Vote.org, on Monday, there were 51,308 new registrations nationwide in 24 hours.
In Taylor’s home state of Tennessee, the 2,811 registrations from September rose to 3,582 in October, with 2,144 of those coming through in the last 36 hours, according to the website.
While the fact that it was the final day to register to vote likely caused a slight spike, undeniably the sudden rise in registered voters has something to do with Swift’s call to action to her young or unregistered fans. Especially considering the Tennessee numbers rise after she specifically discussed the Tennessee candidates.
“Taylor Swift has no impact” pic.twitter.com/DtPyZcWzFj
— Zac ~ (@_GuySwiftie13) October 8, 2018
The election of current President Donald Trump is by no means Taylor Swift’s fault, so much as the fault of an uninformed, well-manipulated and conservative American population and a dysfunctional voting system.
But wow, looking at the impact of Taylor’s first political statement really makes you realise the importance of public figures speaking out against prejudice and supporting change. We can’t afford to be apolitical.
With great power comes great responsibility, so we hope Taylor Swift is ready to keep using hers to help move things forward.