Taylor Swift has reminded us of just how powerful one voice can be. After asking her Instagram followers to vote in the midterm elections, voter registration spiked both nationally and in her home state of Tennessee, according to Vote.org, a site dedicated to registering voters and increasing voter turnout.
The number of individuals registering to vote from around the country shot up 240,000 in the 48 hours after Swift had called on her 112 million Instagram followers to register to vote Sunday night, according to Kamarie Guthrie, Vote.org’s communications director. While there are many factors that contribute to this increase in voter registration, including the approaching deadlines for several states, Vote.org saw an increase of 102,000 for those between 18-29 registering to vote, ABC News reports.
Guthrie noted that Tennessee registration spiked significantly after Swift’s post. This month, Tennessee saw 5,183 new registered voters — with 2,144 of them registering within the last 36 hours, Hello Giggles reports.
According to Guthrie, web traffic also took a drastic jump. Average traffic on Vote.org usually tops out at about 14,000 visits, but in the 24 hours after Swift’s Instagram post, traffic reached 155,940.
Swift in her post on Sunday night said she would vote for Democratic candidates Phil Bredesen for the U.S. Senate and Jim Cooper for the House of Representatives. But she urged her followers to vote for the candidate that closely aligns with their values.
“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 wrote.
She also wrote in her post: “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.”
Mary Mancini, chair of the Tennessee Democratic Party, told ABC News that she was excited about Swift speaking out about the election.
“It’s really exciting. She did what every American should be doing, she came out and made a case for why shes voting the way she is. We know what people think about Tennessee and the truth is Tennessee is in the middle of transformation,” Mancini said. “A new generation of leaders are coming from across the state that are shaping who we are and who are going to be. She speaks for them. She’s who Tennessee really is and what our values are. That’s anyone, no matter who are, or what you look like, or where you live should have the opportunity for a better life for you and your family.”
Mancini also said that Democrats in several parts of the state get bullied into silence because of their views, but she hopes that Swift’s post will encourage those voters to speak out about their beliefs and vote.
“Imagine someone who doesn’t have her stature or megaphone being bullied for thinking the same way. Everything there is is geared towards silencing people who have the same viewpoint that she does. It’s been a great thing for Tennesseans that share those same values,” Mancini said.
President Donald Trump spoke to reporters on the White House’s South Lawn after learning of Swift’s post, saying she is “doing a good job.” However, when discussing Swift’s decision not to support Marsha Blackburn in the state’s Senate race, Trump said, “I’m sure Taylor Swift doesn’t know anything about her. Let’s say that I like Taylor’s music about 25 percent less now.”