Taylor Swift's endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris for the 2024 presidential election has driven a staggering increase in voter registration. Following Swift's Instagram post from September 10, which included a link to Vote.gov after the presidential debate between Harris and Donald Trump, nearly half a million users rushed to register. CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister and Betsy Klein report that Swift's post resulted in a record 405,999 visitors to the voter registration site, a stark increase from the typical 30,000 daily users.
Tom Bonier, a senior advisor at data firm TargetSmart, noted that voter registrations surged by an unprecedented 9,000 to 10,000 individuals per hour after the post went live. He estimated the overall increase could range from 400% to 500%, stating, "It's really unlike anything I've seen."
The political ramifications of Swift's endorsement were also significant; Donald Trump responded by stating that Swift may face consequences for her public endorsement and called her "a very liberal person." This marks a shift from Swift's previous endorsement of Joe Biden during the 2020 election cycle.
Moreover, Swift has been a vocal advocate for informed voting, proactively combating misinformation surrounding her political stance, including misleading AI-generated images that inaccurately portray her as supporting Trump. Following her endorsement, Swift had a notable presence at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards, where she won seven out of ten nominations, further demonstrating her influence beyond the music realm and into the political landscape leading up to the election.