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Taylor Swift is known for her crowd appeal, with millions of fans, known affectionately as Swifties, hanging on to her words as wisdom from the gods. Now the singer has turned her appeal to the cause of voting, asking her fans to vote in the upcoming elections in the US in a now unavailable Instagram story on September 19, 2023:
"Are you registered to vote yet. I’ve been so lucky to see so many of you guys 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!".
The message had the desired effect, with the non-profit voter registration organization receiving 35,000 new voter registration applications after the message by the singer.
The message and the subsequent response went viral on the internet and fans did not hesitate to gush over the singer's influence and reach, as exemplified by the tweet below:
Netizens react to Taylor Swift's voter message and the response to it
Vote CEO Andrea Hailey posted a message on Twitter, confirming the reports of the traffic generated by Taylor Swift's post, calling her post a 'love letter' to the singer for her support.
Netizens were quick to react to Taylor Swift's message and the response to it, taking to social media, particularly Twitter, to express their feelings on the matter. Some urged other celebrities to come forward and do the same as well.
Others praised the singer for her efforts, with some pointing out the demographics of the voter registrations after her message was skewed in favor of young voters, who are more likely to be progressive and open-minded.
This is not the first time Taylor Swift has made an appeal for her fans to come forward and vote. In 2018. the singer urged fans to vote for Democratic candidate Phil Bredesen during the Tennessee Senate elections.
Subsequently, the singer spoke in favor of the Equality Act in 2019. The Act is meant to incorporate protections against LGBTQIA+ discrimination into the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The singer posted a message on her Twitter on May 31, 2019, urging her fans to write to their representatives to support the Act:
"Happy Pride Month! While we have so much to celebrate, we also have a great distance to go before everyone in this country is truly treated equally. In excellent recent news, the House has passed the Equality Act which would protect LGBTQ people from discrimination in places of work, homes, schools and other public accomodations."
The singer continued:
"The next step is that the bill will go before the Senate. I've decided to kick off Pride Month by writing a letter to one of my senators to explain how strongly I feel that the Equality Act should be passed. I urge you to write to your senators too. I'll be looking for your letters by searching the hashtag #letterstoomysenator."
Taylor Swift has since then spoken in support of the Black Lives Matter protest as well as the LGBT community. In 2022, the singer criticized the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed federal abortion rights. She is also noted for her support of gun reform and gun control legislation, as well as the removal of Confederate monuments from her home state Tennessee.
