As we near the deadline to register for midterm elections, more people are making the decision to vote. How is this happening? One reason is singer, songwriter, and now activist Taylor Swift. Should celebrities weigh in on politics? If it works, yes.

In a recent Instagram post, Taylor Swift broke her long-standing political silence and encouraged voters to sign-up for the election. Not only that, she gave public approval of Democrat Phil Bredesen and Jim Cooper of Tennessee. Afterward, 65,000 people registered to vote for November 6, 2018. This made it the “biggest ripple effect ever” in voting history.

It is clear why her voice was so impactful. Taylor Swift is one of the most influential people on social media. She has 112 million followers on Instagram and 83.7 million on Twitter. This number surpasses many other famous celebrities.

The only question is, why didn’t she speak up about politics beforehand? Why didn’t she say anything about the battle for the presidency between Donald J. Trump and Hillary Clinton?

First off, it isn’t like Taylor to talk about politics as she has, in the past, refused to do so. Other celebrities have chipped at the ice before, but it wasn’t anything new. That’s why she didn’t endorse either candidate for the 2016 presidential election. She has, however, been supportive of the voting process.

Of course, President Trump isn’t happy about Taylor’s stand and happens to be biased about it. He believes Marsha Blackburn is fit for Senate. But Taylor is against it. Because of Taylor’s claim, he says he likes her music “25% less” than he did before.

Taylor Swift says she “cannot vote for someone who will not be willing to fight for dignity for ALL Americans, no matter their skin color, gender or who they love.” She goes onto say that she cannot agree with Marsha Blackburn because her voting record “appalls and terrifies” her.

Marsha Blackburn has, in the past, been against women’s rights. She went against the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act of 2009 that benefits equal pay. She opposed the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994. She’s also faced obstacles with the LGBT community. But is Blackburn insistent that she does back up women’s rights even if her record says otherwise.

Not two days after her infamous Instagram post, Taylor delivered a killer performance at the American Music Awards and became the most decorated female artist. Why is this important? Well, other music icons such as Khalid and hostess Tracee Ellis Ross encouraged viewers to get out there and vote. That’s pretty powerful.

The pop queen has been given praise and backlash for taking this leap of faith. Taylor Swift stresses the importance of educating ourselves on who we’re voting for. She also said, “We may never find a candidate or party with whom we agree 100% on every issue, but we have to vote anyway.”

So let’s give it up for Taylor Swift, and go out and vote!