Voter Registration Spikes After Taylor Swift Pro-Democrat Instagram Post

Look what she made them do: The U.S. voter registration service experienced a spike in numbers after Taylor Swift encouraged her 112 million Instagram followers to register to vote in time for next month’s midterm elections. The musician, who has long strayed out of political issues, also voiced her support for two Democrat candidates.

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I’m writing this post about the upcoming midterm elections on November 6th, in which I’ll be voting in the state of Tennessee. 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. I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country. I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG. 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. Running for Senate in the state of Tennessee is a woman named Marsha Blackburn. As much as I have in the past and would like to continue voting for women in office, I cannot support Marsha Blackburn. Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me. She voted against equal pay for women. She voted against the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which attempts to protect women from domestic violence, stalking, and date rape. She believes businesses have a right to refuse service to gay couples. She also believes they should not have the right to marry. These are not MY Tennessee values. I will be voting for Phil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for House of Representatives. Please, please educate yourself on the candidates running in your state and vote based on who most closely represents your values. For a lot of us, we may never find a candidate or party with whom we agree 100% on every issue, but we have to vote anyway. 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! ???

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Oct 7, 2018 at 4:33pm PDT

Kamari Guthrie, the director of communications for vote.org, told Buzzfeed News that during the 24-hour period after the singer posted her statement on Instagram, there were 65,000 registrations on the site.

Swift’s post was focused on the Senate race in Tennessee, where she is registered to vote. In the post, she states that though she previously voted for women in office, she does not feel able to support the Republican Senate candidate, Marsha Blackburn. “Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me,” Swift writes. The singer said she will instead be voting for Democratic candidates Phil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for House of Representatives.

Thank you for the kind words @taylorswift13. I’m honored to have your support and that of so many Tennesseans who are ready to put aside the partisan shouting and get things done. We’re ready for it. Last day to register to vote is October 9. https://t.co/6Xd6YyaJCG pic.twitter.com/CatUBkXPKe

— Phil Bredesen (@PhilBredesen) October 8, 2018

Swift’s post drew criticism from Donald Trump, who told reporters on Monday, “Marsha Blackburn is doing a very good job in Tennessee. She’s leading now substantially, which she should. She’s a tremendous woman. I’m sure Taylor Swift doesn’t know anything about her. Let’s say that I like Taylor’s music about 25% less now, OK?”