Ariana Grande sent food and drinks to voters in Kentucky on Tuesday (23.06.20).
The 26-year-old pop star wanted to make the long wait at the Kentucky Exposition Center – the only open polling location in Jefferson County – more bearable so supplied those queuing with refreshments in a bid to encourage them to put up with the delays and "use [their] voice" to cast a vote in the state primary, which could help determine November’s congressional race.
She tweeted: "sent some food and coffee trucks for everyone waiting in line ! please pull up, enjoy and use your voice today we need u [heart emoji] @kyexpocente (sic)".
There are usually 3,700 polling stations in Kentucky, but just 170 were made available on Tuesday due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the fact there was only one in Jefferson County sparked outrage because it is home to the state’s largest Black community, prompting claims of attempted voter supression.
NBA star LeBron James tweeted at the weekend: "This is SYSTEMIC RACISM and OPPRESSION. So angry man. #BlackLivesMatter #MoreThanaVote (sic)"
And Sheryl Crow posted: "This is unbelievable. ONE polling location for 600,000 people tomorrow in Louisville. Pay attention to what’s happening – voter suppression is real. #Kentucky – get out there and make your voice heard. VOTE. #AllEyesOnKentucky #vote #VoterSuppression (sic)"
Ariana has repeatedly urged young people to use their right to vote and last year, she broke a voter registration record after taking HeadCount on her ‘Sweetener’ tour.
The registration organisation – who have registered over 600,000 voters at gigs, music festivals, and online since 2004 – previously revealed in a tweet: "We are excited to announce that @ArianaGrande’s Sweetener World Tour has broken HeadCount’s all-time record. With 33,381 voter registrations and actions, it is now the most successful tour in our history."
The ‘Thank U, Next’ hitmaker was thrilled with the record.
She said: "I’m so incredibly proud of my fans for engaging in this. thank u so much for investing in our future and for committing to making a change together."