I’ve never been much of a fan of celebrity endorsements. While newsworthy or worthy of scorn (aged-out former stars selling adult diapers or life insurance), unless they’ve actually got some expertise, they’re just some people who did something (for money) regardless of what they’ve endorsed.
Taylor Swift knows how to make money in the music business. Whether you like her songs or not, she’s the wealthiest pop star on the planet. If she were advising you on how to become successful in her industry, she’d be someone to whom you might listen. Who would be a better candidate for president is not in her wheelhouse.
At the same time, Taylor Swift is as entitled to her opinion as anyone, and despite her spotty track record, she’s endorsed Kamala Harris. While polling is about as instructive as Taylor Swift endorsements, someone asked some folks if her endorsement mattered, and most of the respondents either didn’t care or were not voting for Harris anymore because of the endorsement.
The YouGov poll shows that only 8% of respondents said Swift’s endorsement made them “somewhat” or “much more likely” to vote for Harris, while 20% said they are now “somewhat” or “much less likely” to support the vice president’s campaign.
There is additional press to this effect for those looking for more on the subject, and you can find articles pro and con, but there was one thing Swift appears to have accomplished.
In a separate Instagram story, Swift shared a link to Vote.gov, where individuals can find information on where to register to vote and update their voter registration. The website is an official government website and is run by the U.S. General Services Administration, GSA, an independent government agency.
In the 24-hour window that Swift’s story was live on Instagram, a GSA spokesperson told NPR that there had been 405,999 visitors to the Vote.gov website via her unique link. That’s more than 13 times more visitors than a typical day on the site, compared to the week leading up to Swift’s post.
There were also spikes in individuals registering to vote, part of a greater upward trend voting experts have pointed out since Harris took over the Democratic ticket.
Vote.org, a separate voter group that provides registration information and guidance, told NPR that more than 52,000 people registered to vote from its platform, and more than 144,000 checked their registration status in the period shortly after Swift’s endorsement on Tuesday night through midday Thursday.
Registering to vote does not translate to getting you off the couch on election day, going to the polls, standing in line, getting a ballot, and voting. It will likely get you an endless stream of emails from the organization’s portal you registered through, as well as (probably) a mail-in ballot. But again. you have to care, and while Swiftian meddling might move some Gen X, Gen Z, or Millenial needles, can the musings of a pop billionaire overcome the day-to-day fiscal hardship of life under Biden-Harris?
From housing to eating to energy, the real world can be a tough place with which Swift has absolutely no understanding or connection. A distance from reality that explains her vote. And Swift did tell her followers to do their own research.
“I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice,” Swift said in her post. “Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make.”
Depending on where they do their research, that might not bode well for Harris-Walz.
