Swift politics causes increase in young voters

By Savannah Simmons, Opinion Editor 

Taylor Swift causes spike in voter registration but do not just register, VOTE.

Using her platform to share her views on the upcoming election, Taylor Swift caused a spike in voter registration but that is just the first step in creating the change younger generations are desperate to see.

According to the Director of Communications for Vote.org, Kamari Guthrie, within a 24-hour period of Swift’s post, there were 65,000 registrations with a specific spike in registrations in Tennessee.  

“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,” wrote Swift on her Instagram account with 112 million followers. “But first you need to register, which is quick and easy to do.” 

Swift has been infamous for not publicly speaking about her political views so, after her Instagram post where she clearly pointed out what she believes in while telling her fans to register to vote, she caught the attention of many.

During midterm elections, all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate are up for election. This election is held every two years in the middle of a president’s four-year term and is important because the national legislative agenda can be set by the party that holds the majority in Congress.  

According to Pew Research, “[Gen Xers, Millennials, or Post Millennials] accounted for 53% of eligible voters but cast just 36 million votes – 21 million fewer than the Boomer, Silent and Greatest generations, who are ages 54 and older in 2018.” It is no secret that younger generations are not going out to vote in elections that will affect their lives directly and this must change. 

A satirical video by ACRONYM, “a no-BS digital organization committed to winning elections + building digital infrastructure for the progressive movement,”  and their “Knock the Vote” campaign has gone viral over the internet to encourage younger voters to step up. The video shows elderly actors playing Trump supporters who are mocking the younger generation that doesn’t go out and vote for things affecting their future. 

“We’re a generation of doers, not whiners, and we’re doing great,” says one man, “I can’t keep track of which lives matter,” says a woman, “Sure, school shootings are sad but I haven’t been in a school for fifty years,” says another. It is funny and alarming at the same time because even though this is a skit, there are real people in this country who actually think this way and are voting in that direction while generations who want change are statistically not voting. 

While the rise in voter registration is exciting to see, those newly registered voters must actually put that privilege to use and vote in the elections to get the future they want. Participating in marches, liking posts, and speaking on issues over the internet is a great way to gain attention to the issues we face and want change on but our voices will be heard the loudest through the votes on the ballots we cast. 

California’s deadline for registration is Oct. 24 as the midterm elections are Nov. 6. Sign up here if you haven’t already then go out and vote.