Taylor Swift is urging her fans to Speak Now by registering to vote — and her message may have helped usher in tens of thousands of new voters.
The superstar and voting rights advocate used her platform for good this week by encouraging young fans to register to vote on September 21 — which is National Voter Registration Day. On her Instagram Stories that same day, Swift asked her fans simply, “Are you registered to vote yet?”
“I've been so lucky to see so many of you guys at my US shows recently,” Swift wrote on Instagram. “I've heard you raise your voices and I know how powerful they are.”
She continued: “Make sure you're ready to use them in our elections this year!”
The singer then posted a link to the nonpartisan group Vote.org to direct fans to register “in less than 2 minutes.”
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The nonprofit, which aims “to increase voting behavior and reach historically underserved voters of color and underrepresented young voters,” says that an hour after Swift posted on Instagram, the website saw a 1,226% increase in participation.
Vote.org wrote in a statement that 35,252 new voters registered that same day — the most since 2020 and a 23% boost from last year. The site also saw a 72% jump in the number of 18-year-olds registering compared to last year.
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“Vote.org saw record-breaking traffic to our site this week as we celebrated National Voter Registration Day, a highly encouraging sign of voter enthusiasm especially among newly eligible voters," Vote.org CEO Andrew Hailey said in a statement. “Time and time again young people are showing up and demonstrating they care about their rights and access to the ballot box.”
Hailey also said that the website was “averaging 13,000 users every 30 minutes — a number that Taylor Swift would be proud of,” referring to Swift's lucky number, 13.
The Eras Tour powerhouse wasn't always open about her political views but has in recent years taken a stance and publically shared that she would be voting for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris ahead of the 2020 election. In past interviews, Swift said she “took a lot of time educating myself on the political system and the branches of government that are signing off on bills that affect our day-to-day life.” She also said that she wanted to be well-versed in political issues before sharing her beliefs with her millions of followers.
“I saw so many issues that put our most vulnerable citizens at risk, and felt like I had to speak up to try and help make a change,” Swift said. “Invoking racism and provoking fear through thinly veiled messaging is not what I want from our leaders, and I realized that it actually is my responsibility to use my influence against that disgusting rhetoric."
