Joy Villa

Opinion contributor

Voting: It’s the thing my ancestors bled and died for. It’s the thing women in America were jailed for daring to suggest they could, too, impact nationwide elections.

I’m a public figure as a recording artist and TV commentator. In 2017, I hit No. 1 on the Billboard Rock and Alternative Charts with my independent album, “I Make The Static,” and have amassed over half a million followers in my #Joytribe and countless red-carpet events displaying my fashion.

Most notably, my 2017 and 2018 Grammy dresses, where I actually wore my heart on my sleeve.

Today we log on to social media to find left-leaning Hollywood think it’s their duty to attack our president and anyone he endorses. I’m tired of the same old story coming out of their mouths; I think it’s time we start healing and encouraging a healthy and respectful differing of opinions.

I'm not mad at Taylor Swift

Most recently, Taylor Swift broke her silence on her politics, telling her followers she was voting against Republican Marsha Blackburn in Tennessee.

But I’m not mad at her.

Why? Well, even though I love what powerful pro-life advocate Marsha stands for, I’d be a hypocrite if I went against another singer who decided to share her own personal politics. I say share and share liberally.

Don’t attack, don’t slander, and don’t dictate. Taylor kept it civil, and I applaud that.

I’m not a Democrat, but that doesn’t make me an enemy of the Democrats, and I don’t consider them mine.

As a Latina, I’m working with my friends in the nonpartisan Latino Coalition encouraging people to register and vote. I’m working with my Jewish friends in the Jewish Republican Alliance to mobilize the Jewish community. I’m in the inner cities with the African-American Get Out The Vote campaign.

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I’ll let you in on a secret: I’m actually a registered Republican for the first time in my life. When I voted for the first time ever, it was in 2008 for Barack Obama, and I was a registered independent.

When I voted for Donald Trump on 2016, I was still an independent. For this November, I believe in and have thrown my weight behind voting Republican.

Why? Because the extreme left is out of control. They are no longer the moderates or centrists of old, the kind-hearted liberals who truly wanted to help the underprivileged and champion women’s rights and change America for the better.

Things have changed. I believe the leftist culture is now made up of socialist university professors, confusion of genders, attacks on families, believing public opinion over facts, the news media's twisting of what was said, hatred of men and white Americans and the slander of anyone they don’t 100 percent agree with.

I can no longer be a part of this group. I had to walk away.

Conservatives haven't judged me

The right is guilty of extremist diatribes, too. But I’ve seen much less of it from them. In fact, I’ve become less judged by my skin color or gender since coming out as an open conservative two years ago.

I don’t care whether you’re gay, straight, religious or not, what color you are or your stance on Trump. I really don’t care whether you register as Democrat, Republican,independent or undecided. I don’t care what you call yourself; that doesn’t matter.

I may be just another public figure telling you my opinion, but I’m going to take my energy where I know it counts: the polls.

On Nov. 6, whether you agree with my politics or not, register, study the issues, and vote.

Don’t just get mad, go out there and do something about it. Exercise your right that was fought and bled for.

Use your power and your voice in your city, state and nationwide elections. Study the issues, know the candidates, and make the choices based on your heart and mind, not your party affiliation or even what your family or friends say.

I’ll use my voice as black, Hispanic and female, to vote.

As a free American, it’s my right.

Joy Villa is a No. 1 iTunes, Amazon and Billboard artist. You can follow her on Twitter:@Joy_Villa.