'More important than I could even possibly say': Taylor Swift, Michelle Obama encourage voting
Former first lady Michelle Obama urged Americans to make their vote count this election season in her first Instagram livestream.
Obama, one of the many famous faces to promote National Voter Registration Day on Tuesday, recorded a joint Instagram Live with actress Zendaya, who recently became the youngest winner of the best actress in a drama Emmy award at age 24. Obama specifically highlighted the importance of young people making their voice heard through voting.
"I know there's a lot of people your age who are frustrated with the process," she said. "They feel alienated by the system. And a lot of times they think, 'My vote doesn't matter. I don't believe in it. So let me just sit it out or maybe vote for a protest candidate.' But what we've got to remember is these elections are decided by a handful of votes."
She added: “Voting is easy. It is something that we can do. Don’t listen to people who will say that somehow voting is rigged and your vote will get lost and it won’t be counted. That is not true.”
Obama and Zendaya aren't the only big names talking about voting this week: Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan made a surprise appearance in a video message during ABC unveiling of this year's Time 100 list Tuesday to remind Americans to vote.
“Every four years we are told the same thing: That this is the most important election of our lifetime,” Meghan Markle said. “But this one is. When we vote, our values are put into action and our voices are heard. Your voice is a reminder that you matter, because you do and you deserve to be heard."
Though Prince Harry can't vote in the U.S. (and, like other members of the royal family, abstained from voting in the U.K. to remain neutral) he, too, urged voting and highlighted the need to combat online misinformation and hate speech. Several stars including Kim Kardashian, Jamie Foxx and Katy Perry went silent on their Instagram accounts last week in a campaign to urge Facebook to take concrete steps on fighting those issues on its platform.
“As we approach this November, it’s vital that we reject hate speech, misinformation and online negativity," Harry said.
More: It's been 6 months since Harry and Meghan moved to LA post-Megxit: Are they happy now?
Taylor Swift, who has been outspoken about political issues since breaking her silence on politics in 2018, shared a list of resources with her 140 million Instagram followers with information on how to register to vote for the first time, check if you're registered, request an absentee ballot and learn about early voting.
"the election is November 3 – it's really coming up," Swift said in an Instagram story video. "We need everyone. It is more important than I could even possibly say."
And: Katy Perry, Rosario Dawson, more take a break from Instagram with #StopHateforProfit. Here's why
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Michelle Obama, Taylor Swift, more stars urge voter registration
