Taylor Swift Got Nearly Half a Million People to Visit Vote.gov
The Tortured Poets Department? More like The Voter Mobilization Department.
Terrible jokes aside, Taylor Swift's recent Instagram endorsing Kamala Harris and urging her 284 million followers to register to vote has, as anticipated, mobilized hundreds of thousands of Americans to register to vote—or, at least, check their voter registration status.
In the 24 hours following Swift's post, Vote.gov saw 405,999 people referred to their site directly from Swift's Instagram, according to the General Services Administration, which runs the non-partisan site in partnership with the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. You can't technically register to vote on the site, rather, Vote.gov directs people to their state election websites. But the GSA also said there were over 27,000 new registrations through the site on just September 11, and more than 80,000 people who checked their registration status.
Data firm TargetSmart similarly told CBS News that there was a "400% or 500% increase" in voter registration, or between 9,000 and 10,000 people an hour. "It's really unlike anything I've seen," TargetSmart senior adviser Tom Bonier told the outlet.
Meanwhile, Vote.org said at least 52,222 Americans registered to vote through their site following Swift's endorsement, and at least 144,243 Americans verified their registration status, according to CNN.
Crucially, thousands of the Vote.org registrations came from swing states: 2,127 people registered in Pennsylvania, while 5,283 verified their status; 2,124 people registered in Georgie, while 6,939 people verified their status; and 2,213 people registered in North Carolina, while 5,918 verified their status. Vote.org also reported over 1,000 new voter registrations each from Wisconsin, Michigan, and Arizona.
Following Taylor Swift's endorsement of Kamala Harris, there has been a "400% or 500% increase" in voter registration — between 9,000-10,000 people per hour, according to data firm TargetSmart.
"It's really unlike anything I've seen," says TargetSmart senior adviser Tom Bonier. pic.twitter.com/4wC4ejdfaX
— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 12, 2024
Almost immediately following Tuesday night's presidential debate between Harris and Donald Trump, Swift posted her endorsement, which included a photo of herself and one of her three cats, Benjamin Button. She cheekily signed it, "With love and hope, Taylor Swift Childless Cat Lady."
"I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election. I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them," Swift wrote. "I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos."
"I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice. Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make," she continued. "I also want to say, especially to first time voters: Remember that in order to vote, you have to be registered! I also find it’s much easier to vote early. I’ll link where to register and find early voting dates and info in my story." The post received over one million likes in just 13 minutes and, as of Friday, has 10.7 million likes. She also reminded her fans to register to vote while accepting the Video of the Year Award during the MTV VMAs on Wednesday night.
You know what they say, mother knows best ???? #VMAs @taylorswift13 pic.twitter.com/IeN3DuK5dF
— Video Music Awards (@vmas) September 12, 2024
Swift stayed silent during the 2016 election, which she said she regretted in her 2020 documentary, Miss Americana. She's since encouraged her followers to vote, and endorsed democratic candidates, on multiple occasions.
On National Voter Registration Day on September 17, 2023, Swift posted an Instagram story, writing, "I've been so lucky to see so many of you guys at my U.S. shows recently. I've heard you raise your voices, and I know how powerful they are. Make sure you're ready to use them in our elections this year!" She included a link to Vote.org, which reported that, in the hour after her post, they saw a 1,226% jump in traffic to their site, and received 35,252 new voter registrations—the most they'd gotten since 2020. In 2018, Swift also sparked at least 65,000 new voter registrations on Vote.org ahead of the midterms, after writing a scathing Instagram post about Tennessee Republicans and endorsing Phil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for House of Representatives. She endorsed Biden/Harris in 2020.
"Taylor Swift's impact on voter engagement is undeniable. The important thing to remember is that Taylor's work serves as a model that everyone with a platform can use to encourage Americans to participate in civic engagement," Vote.org CEO Andrea Hailey said in a statement this week. "At the heart of it all, every American is an influencer and can help people around them register, vote, and protect access to the ballot box."
So encourage everyone you know to register to vote or to check their registration status. The number to beat is 405,999.