Thousands register to vote after Taylor Swift's Instagram post
Shortly after pop music star Taylor Swift wrote an Instagram post backing a Democratic party candidate for the upcoming midterm elections, over 65,000 people registered to vote across the country, according to the website Vote.org.
The particular number of voters registered within the 24-hour period after Swift's post, compared to the 190,178 new voters registered nationwide during the month of September, reports stated. Swift has over 112 million followers on Instagram and tens of millions more on other social media platforms. The singer, who is a longtime Nashville resident, endorsed Democratic candidate Phil Bredesen, a former governor, over Republican candidate Rep. Marshaw Blackburn in Tennessee's Senate race.
Reports stated Tennessee, where the singer has registered to vote herself, saw a significant surge in sign-ups. The director of communications for Vote.org, Kamari Guthrie, while talking to BuzzFeed said the organization had witnessed 2,144 new registrations in the last 36 hours, and 5,183 so far this month. These numbers reportedly far outstrip the 2,811 Tennessee new voters who signed up during the entire month of September. The voter registration deadline in Tennessee is October 9.
Swift, in a break from her reluctance to weigh in on politics, endorsed Bredesen and Rep. Jim Cooper in an Instagram post on Sunday. Cooper is a Democrat who is running for re-election to the House, according to CNN. "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," Swift said in her post.
The pop star's post appeared to particularly focus on slamming Blackburn for her policies and said the Republican's voting record "appalls and terrifies me." Swift pointed out to multiple issues that Blackburn backs and the music star opposes and encouraged her followers to register themselves on Vote.org.
“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 wrote. “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. 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.”
Swift's backing of a Democratic candidate sparked an outcry from the far right, many of whom speculated that the pop star identified with the Republican Party. President Donald Trump also appeared disappointed on hearing the news and said Swiftly likely didn't "know anything" about Blackburn and added that "I like Taylor’s music about 25 percent less now."