# How much of an impact could Taylor Swift have on the 2024 election? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [August 18, 2023, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758 "2023-08-18T14:49:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/261 "2024-09-13T06:13:19Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > > [@wolfpup](#): > > > > It would more properly have been written “… who has been standing up for decades for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body.” > > “who for decades has been standing up for…” You’re absolutely correct! I was so focused on moving the misplaced adjectival phrase that I overlooked the obviously better placement. I blame Bacardi Gold, the Devil Rum! 😖 ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/262 "2024-09-13T08:45:21Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > “who for decades has been standing up for…” Thanks for saving me from having to post that. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/263 "2024-09-13T09:45:39Z")
Just saw this: > **[Taylor Swift's endorsement of Kamala Harris resulted in a "400% to 500%...](https://consequence.net/2024/09/taylor-swift-kamala-harris-endorsement-voter-registration/)** > > Taylor Swift's endorsement of Kamala Harris led to a massive spike in traffic to Vote.gov, where American citizens can register to vote. Video seems to be from CNN, and they say that this not something they’ve seen before, and that data shows that 80% people who register this late in the election usually go on to vote. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/264 "2024-09-13T11:24:29Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > What I love about Swift’s endorsement is how it makes Trump and Vance look like reactionary troglodytes from a bygone era. Vance’s ridiculous and ill-considered rebuttal to the endorsement just underscores how out of touch they are. When the voters they’re courting are themselves reactionary troglodytes, this doesn’t seem like such a bad tactic. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/265 "2024-09-13T12:28:27Z")
> [@Stratocaster](#): > > Someone needs to figure out the loophole that gets this brilliant idea done. Maybe something similar to those Publishers Clearinghouse Sweepstakes that “require no purchase” but that are clearly created to drum up business. A compulsion to vote that doesn’t actually require you to vote. Krispy Kreme\* does that. If you bring in proof that you voted you get two free donuts. If, during the promotion, you walk in and ask for two free donuts, you’ll also get them. IIRC, in their ads running up to the election, they imply you need to prove you voted, but they never actually state it, plus they have a disclaimer saying it’s available to anyone. \*and double checking that, I see lots of businesses, both local and national, do exactly this. Meanwhile, there’s a whole bunch of articles dated from 2012/2016/2020 etc, about how it’s illegal and you can go to jail for participating in this (unless they offer the free goods to anyone). ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/266 "2024-09-13T12:47:25Z")
Okay, so, the next evolution should be, “ **_FREE GIFT_** for voters\* (\*or anyone who mentions this campaign).” So everyone is covered and is eligible for the free gift, whether they voted or not. Of course, what they don’t tell you is that there’s a different gift in each scenario. If you show proof you voted, you can receive two free donuts. If you don’t have proof you voted, you can enjoy five free minutes in the Angry Wasp Room. In TSwift’s case, the equivalent could be, free TS album, or a free recording of an elderly badger taking a dump. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/267 "2024-09-13T13:03:31Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > J **DiVan** ce speaks: > > > I don’t think most Americans are going to be influenced by a billionaire celebrity who is fundamentally disconnected from the interests and problems of most Americans Endorsement from Childless Cat Lady so far has garnered 9 million likes and nearly half a million new voter registrations. Just like his orange boss, Vance has an almost perfect track record of being wrong on everything. > **[Taylor Swift Sparks 500% Spike In US Voter Registrations](https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-sparks-spike-us-voter-registrations-66938/)** > > Taylor Swift has sparked a wild surge in new voter registrations after she publicly endorsed Karmala Harris for November's US election. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/268 "2024-09-13T13:18:19Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > One MAGAT puts up one seat for sale in a 70,000 seat stadium. 0.01 seconds later, it’s snatched up by a desperate fan. I took a look at a ticket resale site. The bad obstructed cheap seats were $2k, the decent seats were $4k, good seats are $6k+. All fear the MAGA boycott. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/269 "2024-09-13T13:21:01Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Also note one of the concluding sentences: > > > I was so heartened and impressed by her selection of running mate @timwalz, who has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades. > > A professional copy editor would have noticed the misplaced adjectival phrase “for decades”. It would more properly have been written “… who has been standing up for decades for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body.” As a professional copywriter, I call BS. My priority is always what sounds conversational, not what your 7th grade English teacher mandated. And Taylor’s version sounds way better than yours. 😜 ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/270 "2024-09-13T14:31:02Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Endorsement from Childless Cat Lady so far has garnered 9 million likes and nearly half a million new voter registrations. The reporting around this has bugged me a bit. She has NOT garnered nearly half a million new voter registrations – rather, Vote .gov reported a spike of 400,000 visits in the 24 hours after she made her social media post. Not surprising given that she included a link in her post. It’s impossible to say how many of those clicks led to an unregistered eligible voter actually following through and completing the registration process. Especially since Vote. gov is not a voter registration website itself, but rather directs users to state election websites with information on how to register in that state. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/271 "2024-09-13T15:25:40Z")
> [@flurb](#): > > She has NOT garnered nearly half a million new voter registrations – rather, Vote .gov reported a spike of 400,000 visits in the 24 hours after she made her social media post. That’s a valid point. But it’s also a good bet that the number of new voter registrations among her followers is likely significant even if the exact number isn’t known, and it’s probably still growing. I would guess that many young Swifties of voting age are disproportionately uninterested in politics, so their idol taking a definitive stand may mean a lot to them. For Vance to claim that the endorsement of someone as immensely popular as Swift isn’t going to matter is just absurd. If he believes that, he should ask his boss why he falsely tried to claim that Swift endorsed him. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/272 "2024-09-13T15:36:29Z")
Voter registration is a county function in most (all?) of the USA. So gathering coherent stats across ~4000 counties on any actual surge is going to be very difficult. If TS is serious about having an impact I suggest some sort of social media campaign to ask her fans to virtue-signal by posting “I registered”, “I was already registered” or similar. Assuming it takes off virally, that keeps the idea alive and the snowball rolling. Sure folks could just post without doing, but it’s even easier for those lazy folks not to post at all. Them start the same thing with “I voted” once the early or mail-in voting becomes availbe in sufficient volume to start a fresh self- sustaining snowball. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/273 "2024-09-13T16:23:52Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Hm, last cycle, there was definitely a place around here offering a free donut to anyone showing their “I Voted” sticker. Waay back when I first started voting, Pronto Markets (before they became amalgamated with Trader Joe’s) would give you a free chocolate bar if you brought in your “I voted” sticker. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/274 "2024-09-13T16:34:08Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > So gathering coherent stats across ~4000 counties on any actual surge is going to be very difficult. Absolutely true. For PA, for example, you can find the data here :[Voting and Election Statistics | Department of State | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania](https://www.pa.gov/en/agencies/dos/resources/voting-and-elections-resources/voting-and-election-statistics.html) So you would have to look at the data currently posted (which is as of 9/9/24) and compare the number of registrations to some time in a week or two - it looks like that’s how often they update the statistics. As of today there are 8,879,750 registered voters (down a bit from November 2020), of which 3,916,743 are registered as Democrats (down almost 300k from 2020). GOP registrations are about flat from 2020 and Other has gone up by a little. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/275 "2024-09-13T16:52:07Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > Okay, so, the next evolution should be, “_ **FREE GIFT** _ for voters\* (\*or anyone who mentions this campaign).” So everyone is covered and is eligible for the free gift, whether they voted or not. > > Of course, what they don’t tell you is that there’s a different gift in each scenario. If you show proof you voted, you can receive two free donuts. If you don’t have proof you voted, you can enjoy five free minutes in the Angry Wasp Room. > > In TSwift’s case, the equivalent could be, free TS album, or a free recording of an elderly badger taking a dump. You’re allowed to give voters a benefit [as long as you call it a gratuity](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jun/27/supreme-court-bribes-gratuities-snyder-kavanaugh#:~:text=In%20the%20case%2C%20which%20was,%E2%80%9D%2C%20and%20therefore%20not%20illegal.). ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/276 "2024-09-13T17:43:54Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > A professional copy editor would have noticed the misplaced adjectival phrase “for decades”. It would more properly have been written “… who has been standing up for decades for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body.” > [@needscoffee](#): > > “who for decades has been standing up for…” > [@wolfpup](#): > > You’re absolutely correct! > [@psychobunny](#): > > Thanks for saving me from having to post that. As a professional writer and copy editor, the sentence that really jumped out for me, and suggested that it might not have been professionally wordsmithed, was > I’m voting for [@kamalaharris](https://www.instagram.com/kamalaharris/) because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them. It’s just clumsy, ending on “them,” which feels like a stumble, instead of a stronger word like “champion” or “warrior.” And saying “she fights for the rights and causes I believe…” makes you expect the next word to be “in” not “need.” If I had been her writer or copy editor, I would have suggested something like, > I’m voting for [@kamalaharris](https://www.instagram.com/kamalaharris/) because she will be a champion for rights and causes that need a warrior on their side. > I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe in. > I’m voting for [@kamalaharris](https://www.instagram.com/kamalaharris/) because she will be a warrior [or champion] for the rights and causes I believe in. Yes, I know two of them end a sentence with a preposition. That’s because I agree with > [@Akaj](#): > > As a professional copywriter, I call BS. My priority is always what sounds conversational I would like to thank my writers room, sub editors, chief editor, publicist, agent, and manager for their help in creating this post. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/277 "2024-09-13T17:53:59Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > I would like to thank my writers room, sub editors, chief editor, publicist, agent, and manager for their help in creating this post. The typist never gets any credit. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/278 "2024-09-13T17:59:00Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > As a professional writer and copy editor, the sentence that really jumped out for me, and suggested that it might not have been professionally wordsmithed, was > > > I’m voting for [@kamalaharris](https://www.instagram.com/kamalaharris/) because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them. I agree, and I like your rewrite. I think this is more evidence that Swift wrote the post herself and that it didn’t get a lot of review, except probably in the general sense that she was going to take a political stand. > [@Akaj](#): > > As a professional copywriter, I call BS. My priority is always what sounds conversational, not what your 7th grade English teacher mandated. And Taylor’s version sounds way better than yours. Just to wrap up this off-topic tangent, we’ll just have to disagree on this. To say that this sounds “more conversational” than either my version or the one that @needscoffee suggested is at best a very questionable subjective judgment. And this has nothing to do with what a 7th grade English teacher might have preferred. It’s about the natural way we use adjectives in writing and in speech. An adjectival phrase should preferably be located near or adjacent to the noun or noun phrase that it’s modifying, much as we naturally do with adjectives. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/279 "2024-09-13T18:04:41Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Just to wrap up this off-topic tangent, we’ll just have to disagree on this. No way! I’ve been having this argument with coworkers, editors, and clients for decades. 🕶 ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/280 "2024-09-13T20:35:38Z")
> [@flurb](#): > > The reporting around this has bugged me a bit. She has NOT garnered nearly half a million new voter registrations – rather, Vote .gov reported a spike of 400,000 visits in the 24 hours after she made her social media post. Actually, the spike is not just how many visits to [Vote.gov](http://Vote.gov), but of how many people clicked through to their state’s registration link from Vote .gov. So it’s _a bit_ better than just visiting the initial Vote .gov , but it’s definitely not 400k registrations. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758.md?page=13) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758.md?page=15)