Taylor Swift political Instagram post brings spike in voter registration

LOS ANGELES, California -- Voting registrations nationwide and in Tennessee have significantly increased just a day after singer Taylor Swift posted a rare political Instagram post.

According to Vote.org, on Monday there were 51,308 new registrations in the past 24 hours nationwide.

It also saw a general spike in website traffic in the last 24 hours, with 155,940 unique visitors.

In the state of Tennessee, 2,811 registrations from September increased to 3,582 in October so far, and 2,144 of those were in the last 36 hours, according to the website.

The climb in registration numbers comes after Swift posted her political opinion on Instagram Sunday.

"She laid it out there in a lot of words with a lot of passion, saying vote based on issues. Take a look at the candidates and make sure that you agree with candidates as opposed to look at the demographics of the candidates," Karen North said.

North, who is a professor of digital social media at USC Annenberg, said Swift's post could very well have an impact on the midterm elections.

"Taylor Swift, given her immense following in social media and just following among fans, could actually sway people - not even necessarily on their vote - but possibly just the get out the vote, the push to go show up at the polls and make a difference," she said.

Swift, who has mostly remained quiet about her political views, explained that recent events have caused her to speak out.

"In the past, I've been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, but due to several events in my life and in the world the past two years, I feel very different about that now," she said.

In the post, the 28-year-old went on to say that while she has voted for women in the past, she cannot bring herself to vote for Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn.

"Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me," Swift said. "I 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 went on to list that Blackburn voted against equal pay for women and the Reauthorization of Violence Against Women Act. Swift also said Blackburn believes businesses have the right to refuse service to gay couples and that they should not have a right to marry.

"These are not MY Tennessee values. I will be voting for Phil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for House of Representatives," she said.

Swift then urged her fans to vote, saying the deadline to register in Tennessee is Oct. 9.

While speaking to reporters on Monday and learning about Swift's opinion, President Donald Trump said Blackburn has done a "great job" and added, "Let's say that I like Taylor's music about 25 percent less now."

Swift will open the American Music Awards on Tuesday, which will air on ABC13. It's her first AMA performance since 2014.