Pop-Stars & Politics: How Taylor Caused the Spike in Young Voters

 

Taylor Swift has a whopping 182 million followers on Instagram and she has showed us time and time again that she intends to use her platform for good.

The pop-star had originally been quiet about her political pursuits until October 2018, when she crafted a post for Instagram speaking out upon the midterm elections and bashed, then representative of Tennessee, Rep. Marsha Blackburn’s voting record.

Swift continued stating “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.”Taylor Swift breaks her political silence, endorses Democrats in passionate post on midterm elections - ABC News

Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, were personally offended by Taylor’s new involvement in politics, with Trump telling reporters he likes Taylor Swift’s music “about 25% less now.”

But that did not stop Taylor. She continued her political pursuits in another post endorsing candidate Phil Bredesen for the U.S. Senate, in an attempt to flip a seat from red to blue. She told her following “we want leadership, not fear-based extremism” and to “please don’t sit this [election] out.”The latest political post on Taylor Swift's Instagram account.

Putting these words into action, Swift inserted links to register to vote and to learn more about other states’ elections in her instagram bio, posted to alert followers that early voting has kicked off in most states, and even vowed to repost some of her fans on her story if they voted early.

Furthermore, these efforts resulted in a skyrocket of young voter registration. In the first 24 hours immediately following her post, 65,000 Americans ages 18 to 29 registered to vote. And by Tuesday, this number increased to more than 102,000.

Taylor did not give up after 2018 either. Around October of 2020, Taylor took to instagram to show her support for the Democrats presidential candidate, Joe Biden, and his vice presidential nomination, Kamala Harris. taylor swift joe biden cookies

Taylor Swift knows she carries an immense platform of impressionable fans, so she has decided to use it to get younger generations more involved in politics and the ongoings 0f daily government. Unlike other celebrities who take advantage of their demographic to sell the newest detox tea or promote the latest dieting trick, this is a pop-star who is making real change in the world through social media.

Whether you support her views and opinions or not, one cannot deny the statistics and immeasurable impact Swift had on voter registration in 2018. As Taylor’s posts have proved, celebrities purvey power and influence over their audiences. And, arguably, they need to follow in Swift’s footsteps and use their stardom to encourage positive behavior that changes the world.

We don’t need another waist trainer. We need more voters.

 

Long Story Short… Vote.