The “God is a Woman” singer, Ariana Grande, has teamed up with a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization called HeadCount that works with musicians to help register voters at concerts and promote democracy. Grande has always expressed her love for music, but in recent years the popstar has revealed her deep passion for the political future and civic engagement. She constantly encourages her supporters to stay involved with the voting process and use their voice. Now she’s taking it to the next level, and during her Sweetener tour in 29 states there will be a voter registration initiative at every stop to help get her fans to the ballot box.

By being the most followed woman on Instagram, Grande has a highly influential voice for today’s youth. She promoted the campaign on her account and debuted #thankunextgen, a spin on her hit “thank u, next” at a show in New York on March 18th. Many of the superstar’s supporters are as young as 12 years old, but even though they can’t vote she still pushes them to stay aware and even set up a way for them to make a voter registration pledge at her concerts. All they have to do is text “ARIANA” to 40649 and click on the link it sends them to take the pledge. These young pledgers immediately get put into HeadCount’s system and on their 16th or 18th birthday they get an email or text that tells them how to register to vote in their area. All are welcome to text the number, even those who don’t attend her concert, and they can even sign up to get future text or email updates about voting. Some of our own students here at SWHS even think it’s a good idea, Esra Eljafarawi (senior), said “I think it’s innovative and a new way to encourage people to vote.” The young activist even has something set up for older fans and parents who are already registered; If they text 40649 they can find a way to get in contact with their local legislators and get updates on the voting process near them. Not only that but through the link the text message system sends to them, they can easily get information on the candidates so they can vote confidently. We’ll see if this move by Grande encourages other artist’s to delve into the political realm with HeadCount.