
GRAPHIC: CARA HALLIGAN ’25/THE HAWK

One of the most notable endorsements of a presidential candidate, so far, came from Taylor Swift. On Sept. 10, after the presidential debate, Swift posted her endorsement of presidential candidate and current Vice President Kamala Harris to her Instagram account. While this may not immediately sound impressive or important, its significance is understood when you realize she has about 283 million followers and one of the most dedicated fan bases in the world.
After attaching a unique link to vote.gov on her Instagram story encouraging fans to register to vote, a spokesperson for the General Services Administration, that runs the site, reported the site saw an increase of 400,000 views the day after Swift’s post, deviating from the usual 30,000 visits per day.
Endorsements like Swift’s may not impact fans who have already made up their minds, but it could influence some undecided voters and drive more people to vote. Indeed, while not all 400,000 people who followed Swift’s link actually registered to vote, their attention was drawn to the election and to information on how and why to vote.
After seeing what Swift was able to do, don’t be surprised if more celebrities begin endorsing their preferred candidates, hoping to persuade young voters. Whether your favorite celebrity has spoken about the election or not, you should check to make sure you are registered to vote, and remember that while celebrity endorsements can raise significant awareness, they should not replace personal research and informed decision-making in the voting process.