The Japan Times - Taylor Swift urges Americans to vote on Super Tuesday

Swift, one of the world's most famous and most-discussed artists, did not urge her loyal Swifties towards any particular political position or candidate, instead focusing on the importance of casting one's ballot.

"Today, March 5, is the Presidential Primary in Tennessee and 16 other states and territories," the 34-year-old wrote on Instagram, referencing the state she spent much of her youth living in.

"I wanted to remind you guys to vote the people who most represent YOU into power. If you haven't already, make a plan to vote today," the Grammy-winner said.

"Whether you're in Tennessee or somewhere else in the US, check your polling places and times at vote.org."

Last fall Swift -- who got her start in country music before becoming one of pop's most dominant forces -- encouraged her fans to register to vote, directing them to the nonpartisan nonprofit Vote.org.

Following her single message, the institution said it recorded more than 35,000 new registrations, 23 percent more than last year and the most since 2020.

Swift's feelers into politics have been heavily scrutinized, garnering both criticism and praise; her years-long reticence to voice political opinions received the same treatment.

Both the right and the left have long wanted to count her as their own -- but she stayed conspicuously quiet for years, including in 2016 when Donald Trump won the presidency.

Her reserve led many critics to speculate Swift was a closet Republican, until 2018, when she broke both her silence and the internet by endorsing the Democratic opponent of far-right US Senator Marsha Blackburn in Tennessee.

She has since spoken out in particular for the legal right to an abortion and LGBTQ+ rights.

This Tuesday's vote has Trump, 77, looking to cement his hold on the Republican presidential nomination with a sweep of Super Tuesday primaries that could set the stage for his formal bid to return to the White House.

President Joe Biden, 81, is also on the ballot in Democratic primaries on Tuesday, but is only being challenged by little-known outsiders, making his re-nomination fight a formality.

S.Yamada--JT