COULD SWIFTIES SHIFT THE ELECTORATE?

Taylor Swift's vast influence goes beyond music, as evidenced by one of her latest Instagram Stories. On Tuesday (9/20), the Republic star encouraged her 272m followers to register to vote for National Voting Registration Day.

“I’ve been so lucky to see so many of you guys at my U.S. shows recently,” she wrote. “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! Register to vote in less than 2 minutes at vote.org/nvrd.”

And, holy Toledo, did her Swifties listen; shortly after Swift's post went live, Vote.org’s communications director tweeted (or "posted on X," per that pillar of free speech Elon Musk) that the site was averaging 13k users every 30 minutes.

Vote.org CEO Andrea Hailey was encouraged by the numbers. "We see an 849% increase here compared to 2021. 849%! This generation’s eagerness to participate is a game changer," she declared. "They are the future, and their energy will shape the outcomes of upcoming elections."

Tay was credited in 2018 with a surge in voter registration by the young after she endorsed two Tennessee Democrats and promoted voter registration. She again called on fans to vote in 2020 and posted about the Nashville mayoral race in July. Getting young people to the voting booth is crucial for all upcoming elections, and the megastar is clearly happy to play her part. Register here—it is scarcely an exaggeration to say that democracy hangs in the balance.

In other Tay news, the artist just unveiled the track list for 10/27's 1989 (Taylor's Version), which boasts five previously unreleased cuts "from the vault." We'll definitely vote for that.