Taylor Swift uses AMA acceptance speech to tell fans to ‘get out and vote’
Renowned singer Taylor Swift implored people to “get out and vote” as she accepted an honor at the American Music Awards (AMA) on Tuesday night.
“This award and every single award given out tonight were voted on by the people, and you know what else is voted on by the people?” Swift asked as she accepted the “artist of the year” award. “It is the midterm elections on Nov. 6. Get out and vote. I love you guys.”
#AMAs: @taylorswift13 doubles down, tells fans to “get out and vote” pic.twitter.com/IbLd3To59t
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) October 10, 2018
The exhortation marks the second time in just days that Swift has publicly urged people to vote in the upcoming general election.
Swift broke her career-long silence on politics last weekend and urged her Instagram followers to register to vote, adding that citizens should educate themselves “on the candidates running in your state and vote based on who most closely represents your values.”
{mosads}She also issued an endorsement for former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen (D), who is running against Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R), in the state’s Senate race.
“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,” Swift wrote. “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.”
Her comments led to a significant increase in the amount of people registering on the nonpartisan site, Vote.org.
“Thank God for Taylor Swift,” Kamari Guthrie, the site’s director of communications, told BuzzFeed News on Tuesday.
Other celebrities have also encouraged their followers to register to vote in recent days.
Rihanna sent a warning to her 65 million Instagram followers that it was the final day to register in 14 states.
“You have 1 job today and that is to properly register to vote,” Rihanna wrote, including a list of states with Oct. 9 voter registration deadlines.
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