Taylor Swift exhorted Americans to “get out and vote” in the forthcoming US midterm elections as she broke Whitney Houston’s record as the woman to have won the most American Music Awards.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Taylor Swift performing at the awards. Photograph: John Shearer/AMA2018/Getty

Receiving the award for artist of the year, Swift said: “Thank you so much for this. And I just wanted to make a mention of the fact that this award, and every single award given out tonight, were voted on by the people. And you know what else is voted on by the people? The midterm elections on 6 November. Get out and vote – I love you guys.”

Her words follow comments she made on social media earlier this week, in which she endorsed two Democrat candidates in her home state of Tennessee: Phil Bredesen for the Senate and Jim Cooper for the House of Representatives. She also condemned Republican senatorial candidate Marsha Blackburn for her voting record on women’s rights and equal marriage. Swift had previously been criticised in some quarters for not engaging in major political moments in the US like the Black Lives Matter movement and the 2016 presidential election.

Her endorsements correlated with a spike in voter registration – likely also prompted by a looming voter registration deadline – and Bredesen said he was honoured to have her support.

At the American Music Awards, held in Los Angeles, Swift also won tour of the year, favourite female artist, and favourite pop/rock album for Reputation. It takes her AMA tally to 23, beating Whitney Houston’s 19 to make her the most successful female artist at the awards. Michael Jackson is still the awards’ most honoured artist, with 24 wins.

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Swift’s touring guest Camila Cabello also won four awards, while Kane Brown swept the country categories, winning favourite male, favourite album and favourite song. The rapper Cardi B won three awards, including one in tandem with Bruno Mars for their track Finesse.

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Gladys Knight performed a rendition of Amazing Grace in tribute to the late Aretha Franklin, and said ahead of the show: “I am so very honoured to have known her since we were both little girls. The fact that her music has been so pure for all of these years – she touched everybody with her music simply because she chose it with her heart, she didn’t choose anything she didn’t believe.”