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Taylor Swift Just Posted Another Political Message For Her Young Followers on Instagram
She is on a mission.
Earlier this month, Grammy winning singer and songwriter Taylor Swift took to Instagram to endorse Democratic candidates in her home state of Tennessee. While the post earned backlash from conservatives who once considered Swift an icon, voter registrations leapt in the immediate aftermath of her Instagram post.
Now Swift is back on Instagram to address voting for the 2018 midterms with her fans and followers. Specifically, Swift hopes to get the word out about early voting.
Voters do not need to wait until election day to vote, which Swift stated she wished she knew the first time she voted at age 18. On Instagram she said:
"Something I wish I knew about when I was 18 and voting for the first time: ✨EARLY VOTING✨. It makes it so quick and easy to go and cast your vote before November 6. Early voting starts TODAY in Tennessee and goes to Nov 1 🇺🇸"
Swift then directs her followers to her bio page where they can check on early voting in their own state through Vote.org where people can also check on the status of their voter registration.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on
The post earned over 860,000 likes after just 7 hours. People on Twitter noticed her latest efforts to get out the vote as well.
Taylor Swift has taken to Instagram again, this time to inform fans of how they can vote early. https://t.co/m1EFdtApHx— Kyle Griffin (@Kyle Griffin) 1539784510.0
Taylor Swift just added a vote early link to her Instagram account. Here it is: https://t.co/ygUqgw79OG VOTE EAR… https://t.co/Q2KAwYj9OV— Amy Siskind 🏳️🌈 (@Amy Siskind 🏳️🌈) 1539785179.0
For the most part, feedback ran positive. Except when Fox News shared the story. Although the pushback against Swift got some pushback of its own.
@FoxNews #boycottTI #boycotttaylorswift its that simple. If Musicians are willing to marginalize a segment of thei… https://t.co/zdgosCwyJj— David Davila (@David Davila) 1539790166.0
@DAVIDDAVILASRM @FoxNews Why boycott someone for having an opinion. #lame #burnyournikes— Hipster Coffee Company ☕️ (@Hipster Coffee Company ☕️) 1539796328.0
@RonCamelot @FoxNews What's with you guys and the George Soros obsession? Are you seriously suggesting that Taylor… https://t.co/n8rn7DlRyP— Les Gillon (@Les Gillon) 1539797151.0
@FoxNews https://t.co/DdgrP8Ed00— Turfline/Trading (@Turfline/Trading) 1539791760.0
@Turfline @FoxNews I thought conservatives didnt insult of ridicule? Seems as though I've been bamboozled 😏— Rod G (@Rod G) 1539795337.0
However outside of the Fox News post, people seemed to appreciate the message and the links to encourage voting, especially by millennials.
Voter apathy or low voter turnout is highest among young voters.
@kylegriffin1 I take back every time I've called Taylor Swift annoying.— CincoTamayo (@CincoTamayo) 1539784639.0
@CincoTamayo_ @kylegriffin1 I do too.— 🦃🍁🍂 (@🦃🍁🍂) 1539784736.0
@paoloalpay @CincoTamayo_ @kylegriffin1 I still don't like her music, but she see,s like a genuinely decent person,… https://t.co/QXcnlTuxoi— 🦃🍁🍂 (@🦃🍁🍂) 1539785525.0
@kylegriffin1 quuueeennnnnnnn— ᴿealfarmacist (@ᴿealfarmacist) 1539784544.0
@kylegriffin1 Thanks @taylorswift13!— Holly💙AR (@Holly💙AR) 1539784623.0
@kylegriffin1 @Christ0pherWade It’s great to see Taylor Swift using her celebrity to do some good. Hopefully this w… https://t.co/SIkvvk1JtL— Russell Drew (@Russell Drew) 1539785566.0
@kylegriffin1 More progressive candidates should be on insta where the young people are..— Live Free or Die (@Live Free or Die) 1539784994.0
@kylegriffin1 Thank you @taylorswift13 for using your platform to encourage participation in our core democratic p… https://t.co/j9rURV5Coc— Maelli (@Maelli) 1539785548.0
Voting rates historically vary according to age, with older Americans generally voting at higher rates than younger Americans since statistics began with the 1980 presidential election. In 2016, citizens 65 years and older reported higher turnout (70.9 percent) than 45 to 64-year-olds (66.6 percent), 30 to 44-year-olds (58.7 percent) and 18 to 29-year-olds (46.1 percent).
In midterm years, voting drops in all groups but tends to fall significantly among younger voters. In the 2014 midterms, only 37 percent of voters went to the polls. And only 21 percent of voters under 30 voted in the 2014 midterms.
Midterm elections are slated for Tuesday, November 6, 2018, but voters can also cast ballots early or by absentee ballot.