Taylor Swift, widely known as a pop icon, has shown her potential influence beyond music, possibly impacting the political sphere. On Wednesday, she publicly endorsed Kamala Harris, the US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate, via social media. In her post, Swift provided a link to help voters find essential information on registration and voting dates.
Her endorsement had a significant impact, as over 300,000 people visited vote.gov, a site where citizens can access voter rights information. While the website doesn’t register voters directly, it guides users to their state election sites for specific details on the voting process.
According to the US Government Services Administration, Swift’s Instagram post led 3,37,826 people to visit the vote.gov site. This surge in traffic is being interpreted as a sign of Swift’s potential influence on the upcoming November elections.
The singer’s post came shortly after the first US presidential debate between Harris and Donald Trump, her political opponent. In the Instagram message, Swift declared her support for Harris and Governor Tim Walz, the Democratic running mate, while encouraging Americans to vote. She also shared the importance of early registration, especially for first-time voters, and linked resources for finding early voting dates.
While Taylor Swift has inspired voter turnout in the past, it remains to be seen if she can sway voters toward specific candidates. A Newsweek poll in early 2024 indicated that while 18% of voters felt more inclined to support a candidate endorsed by Swift, a majority of respondents expressed indifference to her political opinions.
Despite these mixed reactions, Swift’s ability to drive voter engagement is undeniable. In the 2018 mid-term elections, her endorsement of Democrat Phil Bredesen led to nearly 65,000 voter registrations within 24 hours, although Bredesen ultimately lost.
Experts, like Marcus Collins from the University of Michigan, suggest that Swift’s influence could come from “social signaling” — when people align with public figures they identify with. However, others, like University of Melbourne professor Lauren Rosewarne, believe that while Swift’s fanbase may align with Harris’s supporters, her endorsement may not sway undecided male voters.
Data from AceOdds suggests that Swift’s growing fanbase, especially in swing states like Florida, Michigan, and Wisconsin, could have an influence in the upcoming election. If her political influence matches the spike in her popularity, Swift’s endorsement might be an advantage for the Democrats in these key battlegrounds.
