Taylor Swift drives record-breaking numbers to voter registration site
Taylor Swift recently urged her fans to take action at the forthcoming US elections, driving record-breaking numbers to the Vote.org website.
On Tuesday (September 19), the ‘Midnights’ pop star shared a message on her Instagram Stories feed to mark National Voter Registration Day. “Are you registered to vote yet?” she began the post.
“I’ve been so lucky to see so many of you at my US shows recently. I’ve heard you raise your voices, and I know how powerful they are. Make sure you’re ready to use them in our elections this year!”
Swift added that it would take “less than 2 minutes” to register to vote, sharing a link to Vote.org.
Yesterday (September 20) Vote.org’s communication director, Nick Morrow, revealed on X (fka Twitter) that “our site was averaging 13,000 users every 30 minutes” following Swift’s plea.
“13! Let’s just say her reputation for being a mastermind is very well-earned! #NVRD,” he continued.
Check out the post below.
Fun fact: after @taylorswift13 posted on Instagram today directing her followers to register to vote on @votedotorg, our site was averaging 13,000 users every 30 minutes. 13! Let’s just say her reputation for being a mastermind is very well-earned! #NVRD https://t.co/L80M5KRakq
— Nick Morrow (@NRMorrow) September 20, 2023
Andrea Hailey, CEO of Vote.org, explained: “Today, on National Voter Registration Day, it’s vital that young voters, in particular, understand they have the power to shape their future.
“Eight million young people will be newly eligible voters by Election Day 2024. And, the time is now to get ready for the elections taking place this fall and next year. Several states have elections in November of this year and many other states will have primaries in the first few months of 2024.”
She added: “That’s why this National Voter Registration Day is so important: we’re at the starting line of the next presidential election.”
Swift broke years of political silence in 2018 to back two Democrat candidates in the US midterm elections and ask her fans to register and vote. It came after she faced criticism for not speaking out against Donald Trump ahead of the 2016 US election.
In 2020, the singer shared a video message that saw her endorse Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on the eve of the presidential election.
Swift had previously allowed her music to be used in a political advert for the first time. Her 2020 song ‘Only The Young’ soundtracked a commercial from Eric Swalwell, which urged people to vote for the Democratic Party.
In other news, Swift has revealed the titles of the five ‘From The Vault’ tracks that will appear on ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’.
Swift bagged a history-making nine awards at last week’s 2023 MTV VMAs, tying for the most wins in one night. She also has the second-most overall wins, coming in second to Beyoncé (who has a total of 26 VMAs as a solo artist).
The post Taylor Swift drives record-breaking numbers to voter registration site appeared first on NME.
Tom Skinner
NME
