After Taylor Swift’s recent endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris, there has been a significant increase in traffic to vote.gov, according to CNN. As reported by the federal agency responsible for overseeing the voter registration website, 337,826 visitors visited vote.gov after clicking on a custom URL shared by Swift on her Instagram account following her endorsement of Harris. However, it remains unclear how many of these visitors have registered to vote.
In her endorsement, Swift, 34, stated she was voting for Kamala Harris because “she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them.” The pop star urged first-time voters to register and provided a link where they could do so in her Instagram story. Vote.gov, which is managed by the General Services Administration, directs users to their respective states or territories to complete voter registration.
The federal website experienced a significant spike in engagement surrounding the debate, with a spokesperson for Vote.org informing CNN of a 585% increase in visitors between 9 p.m. and midnight on Tuesday night. Andrea Hailey, CEO of Vote.org, acknowledged Taylor Swift’s impact on voter engagement, attributing part of the increase to the “Anti-Hero” singer and her influence on the Swifties.
Swift concluded her endorsement by encouraging her fans to conduct their own research on the candidates and issues at hand, stating that as a voter, she ensures she is well-informed about proposed policies and plans for the country. In addition to endorsing Kamala Harris, Swift shared a photo of herself holding her cat, Benjamin Button, from her Time Person of the Year spread in December 2021. This image choice is believed to be a response to Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance’s characterization of Democratic women as “childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives.
In a somewhat dismissive manner, former President Donald Trump responded to Swift’s endorsement during an interview on “Fox & Friends,” stating that he much prefers Brittany Mahomes, the wife of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes had recently made headlines for liking one of Trump’s Instagram posts that outlined his “2024 GOP Platform.
