Taylor Swift Mobilizes Her Fans Ahead of Election
Date: 2024-09-13 Author: Leon Pierce Categories: PEOPLE
Swift’s Fan Army Is Making a Move
Taylor Swift’s support for Harris on Tuesday, pledging her strong support for the Democrats. Her many fans, known as “Swifties,” responded immediately, sparking an immediate surge in registrations on the official voter registration website.
D.C.-based consulting firm TargetSmart has seen an unprecedented surge in new voter registrations. Vote.org saw a 400-500% increase in registrations immediately after Swift’s announcement, according to Tom Bonier, a senior adviser to the firm. About 9,000-10,000 people were visiting the site every hour.
In an interview with CBS News, Bonnier noted that his team had not seen this effect before, calling it the “Swift Effect.”
“Usually these spikes in activity taper off over time, but in this case we’ve seen this effect continue for two days,” Bonnier added.
While not everyone who registers will necessarily vote, Bonnier noted that people who register closer to the election tend to vote.
The debates may also have contributed to the increase in registrations
The recent debates may also have contributed to the increase in traffic to Vote.org. In addition, analytics platforms report that Kamala Harris’s chances of winning have increased, surpassing Donald Trump’s after the debates. Even Elon Musk, who is inclined to believe that Trump would be a more effective leader, acknowledged that Harris exceeded his expectations.
While the debates may have been a factor, the increase in activity on the site is primarily due to the effect of Swift’s announcement. This is not the first time her influence has manifested itself in this form. Last year, rumors of her relationship with NFL player Travis Kelce sparked a massive interest in football betting.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump seems unimpressed with Taylor Swift's actions. In an interview with Fox News, he hinted that she holds extremely liberal views and always votes Democrat, which he believes could negatively affect her career.
