Taylor Swift urges America to Vote

Remember 2006? Kids were rolling around on Heelys, you could watch a movie on your iPod Nano, Daniel Powder’s “Bad Day” was on every radio station with no escape, and Taylor Hicks had won the fifth season of American Idol (which was the most popular TV show at the time). In 2006, a new artist released her very first country album. At 17-years-old, the unknown artist would soon become a household name.

Remember a time when Taylor Swift was “America’s Sweetheart?” Remember when she only sang country songs?

Yeah, that was 2006.

Twelve years later, the country-turned-pop star Taylor Swift surpassed Whitney Houston for the most decorated Female Artist in American Music award history at the 46th annual AMA’s. Not only is she making history in the music world, but she is using her voice to encourage people to use their voice and vote in the midterm elections on Nov. 6.

Now, the proud holder of 22 American Music Award trophies, Swift shared on her social media platforms that she wants her fans to vote. On Oct. 7, the singer-songwriter shared her thoughts via Instagram:

“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… 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!”

Vote.org noticed a spike in registration in the 24 hours after the initial Instagram post.

“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,” Swift said in the middle of her post. The pop-star, continued to urge her followers to make a difference in their communities and country.

Two days after their initial statement regarding Swift’s Instagram post, vote.org published, “Since Taylor Swift’s well-publicized Instagram post on Sunday night, in which she urged her 112 Million fans to vote.” This just shows the power of the celebrity. Vote.org has seen a massive spike in voter registration. According to the website’s records, the majority of newly registered voters have been between the ages of 18 and 29-years-old.

While accepting her award for Artist of the Year, Swift thanked the audience because the award was voted by the people and said, “And you know what else is voted on by the people is the midterm elections on Nov. 6. Get out and vote. I love you guys.”

On Oct. 21, Swift shared a total of 22 photos featuring fans who shared with her that they had voted. The series of photos ranged from 18-year-olds to a mother of a new baby girl trying to set a good example for her. However, most of the photos are of first-time voters.

In general, social media usage has created so much political buzz that more young-adults are taking the time to vote and use their voices. Snapchat has created a feature to allow users to register and vote right in the app.

Swift is not the only celebrity in history to endorse political campaigns. Just over two years ago, Colin Kaepernick chose to take a knee during the playing of the national anthem to protest police violence. Late-night star, Jimmy Kimmel, has used his platform to voice his opinion on the Republican health-care bill in the past. Other stars used their popularity to support presidential candidates in 2016. Even during John F. Kennedy’s 1960 presidential campaign, singers Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin used their celebrity status to influence fans.

Celebrities will most likely continue to use their influence to make their fans feel the same way they do. It’s part of the point of celebrity status, to have enough power and popularity to change the way that people think. Americans as a country need to use celebrity endorsements to increase their knowledge, but should also do their own research. Celebrity opinions are not always beneficial to the common people.

Published November 2018 in The Griffin Student newspaper from Chestnut Hill College.