A New York voter registration group is offering a creative incentive to get young people to the polls—Taylor Swift concert tickets. But the man behind the organization, Civic Innovation Works, has a controversial past with voter fraud.
Civic Innovation Works’ leader Tate Hausman is a political operative with ties to New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Hausman was notably convicted of voter fraud in 2009 for falsifying absentee ballots, according to a report from the Washington Free Beacon.
Despite these charges, Civic Innovation Works and Hausman have partnered with prominent left-leaning groups like Vote.org and TargetSmart in voter registration efforts.
Hausman, a New York native, pleaded guilty to voter fraud in 2009 after he illegally claimed residency in Ohio to vote. Hausman, who was part of a separate voter registration group at the time, said he believed he was allowed to vote legally in Ohio.
The judge in his case said he was “skeptical” that Hausman was ignorant of the law. Hausman was fined $1,000 and sentenced to one year of probation, according to reports.
The organization’s latest effort is a contest offering two tickets to Taylor Swift’s November concert in Indianapolis. Entrants are required to enter their personal information — name, address, email address, phone number, and date of birth — to check whether they are registered to vote.
“Taylor’s got a message: Register to vote,” the ad reads, “Check your registration status, and you could win 2 tickets to her Nov 3rd show in Indianapolis. Are you in?”
Civic Innovation does not publicly declare a party affiliation, but the Swift-themed contest appears aimed at getting liberal voters to the polls, leaning into the pop superstar’s recent political endorsement.
This has become an increasingly popular tactic on the left. The Voter Participation Center, a self-described “nonpartisan” voter group, intentionally blocked Facebook ads to register new voters from reaching users who have interests traditionally associated with conservative men.
This piece first appeared at TPUSA.
