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Taylor Swift's Instagram post appears to have spurred 65,000 to register to vote

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Taylor Swift’s first major political statement may have led  tens of thousands of people to register to vote.

According to Vote.org, a website that uses technology to increase voter turnout, there has been a significant increase in voter registrations across the county.

"We are up to 65,000 registrations in a single 24-hour period since T. Swift's post," Kamari Guthrie, director of communications for Vote.org, told BuzzFeed News.

Swift, who has been quiet when it comes to direct political commentary for most of her career, posted on Instagram Sunday about the midterm elections.

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"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 wrote to her 112 million followers. "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.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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! 🗳😃🌈

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Swift also voiced support for Democrats Phil Bredesen and Jim Cooper, who are running for Senate and the House of Representatives, respectively. Swift, who is based in Nashville, Tennessee, closed her post by urging followers to register to vote, reminding them that the last day to register in Tennessee is Tuesday, Oct. 9.

“Vote.org saw (Tennessee) registrations spike specifically since Taylor’s post,” Gunthrie said, adding that at least 2,144 of 5,183 state registrations were in the last 36 hours.

“Thank God for Taylor Swift,” she said.

Taylor Swift posted on Instagram Oct. 7, that she's voting for Tennessee's Democratic Senate candidate Phil Bredesen, breaking her long-standing refusal to discuss anything politics. Vote.org says the post led tens of thousands to register to vote.