400,000 clicks in a very short time Fans storm US voting platform after Taylor Swift's appeal
Taylor Swift's public support for Kamala Harris on her Instagram channel has galvanized her huge fan base: Swifties are paying close attention to the upcoming US election.
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- Taylor Swift, one of the biggest pop icons in the world, is causing a stir: Her open support for Kamala Harris is driving hundreds of thousands to the US government's election platform.
- The website "Vote.gov" experienced a huge increase in visitors after Swift's Instagram post - with more than 405,000 clicks within 24 hours.
- The singer is calling on her 284 million followers to register to vote and take action to change politics.
Pop superstar Taylor Swift has turned the US General Services Administration (GSA) website "Vote.gov" into a click hotspot with her public declaration of support for Kamala Harris. Swift has publicly declared that she will vote for Kamala Harris in the upcoming elections - and not for former President Donald Trump.
Following the heated TV debate between Harris and Trump, Swift has taken a clear stance. She announced her support for Harris on Instagram. The singer addressed her followers with the words "I will be voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 presidential election".
She has also explained why the incumbent Vice President is the right choice for her: "I'm voting for Kamala Harris because she fights for the rights and causes that I believe need strong representation. She is a level-headed, talented leader, and I firmly believe that we can accomplish much more in this country if we are led by calm instead of chaos."
Swift urged her fans: "I've done my research and made my decision. [...] Remember, you must be registered to vote."
Over 400,000 visitors to the election page
The appeal is having an impact: within just 24 hours of Swift's Instagram statement, the election website "Vote.gov" had over 405,999 visitors who were forwarded directly from Swift's story.
As a GSA spokesperson confirmed to the US magazine "Variety", the numbers are exploding - a significant increase compared to the usual 30,000 daily visitors between September 3 and 9.
It is unclear how many of the users who came to the site via Taylor Swift's post actually registered to vote. The platform only offers information about the election; it is not possible to register to vote directly. Instead, the website redirects visitors to the registration pages of their respective states.
Registration often means actually voting
On CBS, Tom Bonier, Democratic political strategist and data specialist, explains: "Statistics show that about 80 percent of people who register this close to the election will actually vote. That means that registering is not only a big step, but for the majority it means actually participating in the election."
Pennsylvania in particular, a crucial state and Swift's home state, saw a sharp increase in registrations after Swift's call, especially from young voters, women and voters of color.
"The number of voter registrations of young women of color tripled compared to 2020, and these groups tend to vote for Democrats," Bonier continued.
Likes from celebrities
The influence of the pop icon is an impressive demonstration of the extent to which celebrities can shape the political landscape. The Instagram post in which Swift publicized her support also achieved high numbers: Within fifteen minutes it had received one million likes, and after ten hours it had almost eight million. This is a high figure compared to Swift's other posts.
Among Swift's most prominent followers who have liked the post are actresses Jennifer Aniston and Selena Gomez as well as talk show host Oprah Winfrey.
