# 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:** 15
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/281 "2024-09-13T20:47:45Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > but it’s definitely not 400k registrations. But even a fration of that could be enough to tip the scales. Even if half only clicked through to actually register, and only half of those actually vote, that’s still 100k new voters, the vast majority of whom will vote for Harris. With elections being decided by thousands of votes, that could make a huge difference. That’s what happens when everything important happens in the margins. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/282 "2024-09-13T21:25:35Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > With elections being decided by thousands of votes, that could make a huge difference. Could. Unless they’re all in California or New York. Or Texas. Which is likely exactly where a large number of them are for a variety of reasons - big states with baked in margins. It’s all about where these votes end up. Not to shit on Swift or Swifties of course. It is potentially important and might actually make or break a margin somewhere. All good news is welcomed. It’s just that it will be awful hard to suss out how big of an impact it will be until after the election, if even then. ---
**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, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/283 "2024-09-13T21:38:58Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > 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. That’s not what I’ve seen reported. From [this article](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/taylor-swift-kamala-harris-endorsement-vote-gov/), it says, “A spokesperson for the GSA said 405,999 users had visited [vote.gov](http://vote.gov) through Swift’s link in the 24 hours after she posted it. The spokesperson noted that new voters must ultimately sign up to vote through their own state-specific website.” > [@Horatius](#): > > Even if half only clicked through to actually register, and only half of those actually vote, that’s still 100k new voters, the vast majority of whom will vote for Harris. I’d be deeply surprised if the follow through rate was as high as 50%. Clicking on a link in an Instagram story requires zero effort. Clicking through to the state information, and then actually following the state registration process – which will likely involve filling out forms, providing identification, etc. – is much more effort. ---
**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, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/284 "2024-09-13T21:55:35Z")
> [@flurb](#): > > That’s not what I’ve seen reported. From [this article](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/taylor-swift-kamala-harris-endorsement-vote-gov/), it says, “A spokesperson for the GSA said 405,999 users had visited [vote.gov](http://vote.gov) through Swift’s link in the 24 hours after she posted it. The spokesperson noted that new voters must ultimately sign up to vote through their own state-specific website.” Yeah, you’re right. Wherever I saw what I wrote, I don’t see it now. Probably operator error. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/285 "2024-09-13T23:28:03Z")
> [@flurb](#): > > I’d be deeply surprised if the follow through rate was as high as 50%. Clicking on a link in an Instagram story requires zero effort. Clicking through to the state information, and then actually following the state registration process – which will likely involve filling out forms, providing identification, etc. – is much more effort. I agree with this but there were probably also people who heard about this and registered through other means and additionally there are people who are already registered who will now vote instead of blowing it off. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/286 "2024-09-14T03:10:56Z")
> [@flurb](#): > > Clicking through to the state information, and then actually following the state registration process – which will likely involve filling out forms, providing identification, etc. – is much more effort. It’s really not that much effort. ---
**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 14, 2024, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/287 "2024-09-14T03:35:23Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > It’s really not that much effort In which state? I’m guessing some make it more complicated than others. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/288 "2024-09-14T03:54:09Z")
Gotta be careful. Sometimes those cites disappear amazingly fast. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/289 "2024-09-14T03:59:09Z")
Well [even 17 years ago](https://law.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/alvarez.pdf) almost all felt the process was easy across the country. There are Federal guidelines in place that prevent making it too difficult in fact. If you have any examples of states that specifically make registration a cumbersome process to complete please do share. Duly noted some states engage in as much disenfranchisement as they can, but it doesn’t seem to be at this point of the process currently. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/290 "2024-09-14T04:28:07Z")
Maybe Taylor Swift could have more impact on the election if she reworked one of her songs. I’m thinking something like this: 🎶 _I’m late to the game_ _But I got this on the brain_ _So I’m a-gonna say, mm-mm_ _So I’m a gonna say, mm-mm_ _November Five’s the date_ _Vote early, don’t be late_ _And I’m a gonna say, mm-mm_ _I’m a gonna say, mm-mm_ _Let’s get all votin’_ _Don’t hear the crap he’s quotin’_ _He’s got toadies in his ears, mm-mm_ _He’s got voices in his head._ _'Cause the voters gonna vote, vote, vote, vote, vote_ _And Trump is gonna note, note, note, note, note_ _There’s nothing to his hate, hate, hate, hate, hate_ _He’s voted off. He’s voted off. (Hoo, hoo, hoo)_ _Harris gonna break, break, break, break, break_ _The faker who is fake, fake, fake, fake, fake_ _Time for us to vote, vote vote, vote, vote_ _Vote him off. Vote him off! (Hoo-hoo-hoo)_ 🎶 (Ms. Swift, if you do, by chance, use it, could I get credit? Thanks. 🙂 ) ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/291 "2024-09-14T04:28:44Z")
I’ve been suspicious since Bush/Gore that all was not equal. I don’t think the big picture is all that affected. Not on purpose or nefarious as the right claims. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/292 "2024-09-14T07:12:04Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > If you have any examples of states that specifically make registration a cumbersome process to complete please do share. One issue is what methods are available to register. Most states now have in-mail registration and online registration, but not all. In states that require in-person voting, that may make voter registration more difficult. Another issue is election-day registration. Not all states permit election day registration. Another issue is what documents are required to register. Some states require certain types of government-issued photo ID to register. What effect do these laws have? You have to drill down on specific examples and states to get answers. For example, in states that require in-person registration, how easy are those requirements to meet? How many offices are available for registration, and what hours? What is the physical distribution of those offices? That may be determined at the county level. Election-day registration has been shown to improve voter turn-out. It tends to be used by people who are at a mobile stage at their life (often young voters), or may not have fixed places of residence. Does that mean that not allowing election day registration makes it harder for young people to vote? Who do young people tend to vote for? And who do people with no fixed address tend to vote for? What types of government ID are needed to register, and how easy is it to get the appropriate registration, particularly photo ID? How quickly can one obtain the photo ID necessary to register? Again, that may be determined at the county level, if a person must go to a government office to get the ID necessary. And tracing back a step, what type of information is necessary to get the appropriate ID? That may make it more or less difficult to get the ID necessary to register. North Dakota, for example, had a requirement that to register, a voter had to give a residence with a street address. However, Indian voters who lived on reservations often didn’t have a street address, only PO Box addresses. The residential address requirement was struck down as discriminatory. Here’s a couple of Wikipedia articles on the issue: > **[Voter registration in the United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voter_registration_in_the_United_States)** > > All US states and territories, except North Dakota, require voter registration by eligible citizens before they can vote in federal, state and local elections. In North Dakota, cities in the state may register voters for city elections, and in other cases voters must provide identification and proof of entitlement to vote at the polling place before being permitted to vote. Voter registration takes place at the county level in many states or at the municipal level in several states. Many state... > **[Voter identification laws in the United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voter_identification_laws_in_the_United_States)** > > Voter ID laws in the United States are laws that require a person to provide some form of official identification before they are permitted to register to vote, receive a ballot for an election, or to actually vote in elections in the United States. > > At the federal level, the Help America Vote Act of 2002 requires a voter ID for all new voters in federal elections who registered by mail and who did not provide a driver's license number or the last four digits of a Social Security number th... And a couple of Ballotopedia articles: > **[Voter registration](https://ballotpedia.org/Voter_registration)** > > Ballotpedia: The Encyclopedia of American Politics > **[Where do I register to vote](https://ballotpedia.org/Where_do_I_register_to_vote)** > > Ballotpedia: The Encyclopedia of American Politics ---
**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 14, 2024, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/293 "2024-09-14T07:50:02Z")
> [@flurb](#): > > > [@Horatius](#): > > > > Even if half only clicked through to actually register, and only half of those actually vote, that’s still 100k new voters, the vast majority of whom will vote for Harris. > > I’d be deeply surprised if the follow through rate was as high as 50%. Clicking on a link in an Instagram story requires zero effort. Clicking through to the state information, and then actually following the state registration process – which will likely involve filling out forms, providing identification, etc. – is much more effort. If it was really all that much effort it’s amazing that anyone votes at all. The main point here is that because of Swift’s endorsement, hundreds of thousands of (mostly) young people who never thought much about politics might now be motivated to vote. And they’re pretty much all going to be voting for Harris. No wonder JD Vance has been so anxious to dismiss the endorsement and the Orange One has been silent about it. I also have to wonder if all this “registration” BS is having the effect of voter suppression, whether intentional or not. Here in Canada what I have to do to register to vote is … nothing. Actually, I guess that checking the box on my income tax return that says “you may provide my information to Elections Canada” is what does it. One checkbox and zero effort puts me on the voters list. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/294 "2024-09-14T08:02:55Z")
It doesn’t always work. When I moved to my current address, I went through three federal elections before I finally got the voter card from Elections Canada in the post. Not a biggie, though. For two of those elections I just swore myself in at the poll, and the third I realised far enough in advance to phone the local Elections Canada office and got on the voters list. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/295 "2024-09-14T08:08:18Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > I also have to wonder if all this “registration” BS is having the effect of voter suppression, whether intentional or not. In the last US presidential election, there was a news story that one state accepted US military ID to vote, but would not accept photo ID issued by colleges in that state. US military ID apparently does not have residence on it, so does not provide evidence that the bearer lives in the state. No surprise, given mobility requirements for the military. ID from colleges in the state is a pretty good basis to conclude that the bearer is living in the state. Who do young college students tend to vote for? Who do US military members tend to vote for? Hmmmm. Just a coincidence, i’m sure. ---
**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 14, 2024, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/296 "2024-09-14T08:17:28Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Who do young college students tend to vote for? > > Who do US military members tend to vote for? > > Hmmmm. > > Just a coincidence, i’m sure. An astute observation. And also underscores why Swift’s endorsement is so important. Her followers were overwhelmingly likely to be Harris supporters but also not very likely to vote. That all changed with her endorsement. Not to mention making the Orange Felon’s earlier claim that she had endorsed him look like the pathetic lie that it was. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/297 "2024-09-14T08:31:35Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > I also have to wonder if all this “registration” BS is having the effect of voter suppression, whether intentional or not. Here in Canada what I have to do to register to vote is … nothing. Actually, I guess that checking the box on my income tax return that says “you may provide my information to Elections Canada” is what does it. One checkbox and zero effort puts me on the voters list. Yeah, that’s pretty much it. I check the box marked “I am a Canadian citizen and eligible to vote” on my tax return, and I am on the voters’ list. It’s just that simple. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/298 "2024-09-14T08:39:56Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Yeah, that’s pretty much it. I check the box marked “I am a Canadian citizen and eligible to vote” on my tax return, and I am on the voters’ list. It’s just that simple. In Oregon here, when you get a drivers license, you have to _opt out_ of registering to vote, otherwise you’re registered if you aren’t already. I’m not sure how many states have motor-voter registration, but I suspect they’re all blue states. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/299 "2024-09-14T08:47:11Z")
Voting here depends on whether you are a citizen of Canada. What province, doesn’t matter, driver or not, doesn’t matter. Are you a citizen? Provincial driver’s licenses do not matter. Are you a citizen of Canada? That matters. If you are an American citizen, then how can a US state get in your way of voting for an American president? State driver’s license or not? Seriously, the mind boggles at how a US state can get in the way of an American citizen voting for a US president on the basis of a state driver’s license. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758/300 "2024-09-14T11:23:52Z")
Relevant to this thread, registering to vote itself is generally a process that takes five to ten minutes, max, and may require sending in the form. If we are going to look at specific states, well let’s [check out PA](https://vote.gov/register/pennsylvania/mail-in-form-filler). Pretty quick and easy. Just picking a state at random. Thinking that half of the previously unregistered Swifties who are motivated enough by Taylor to click through to the state site will be too lazy or stupid to handle that quick easy process seems silly. The overwhelming vast majority will complete the process. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758.md?page=14) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-an-impact-could-taylor-swift-have-on-the-2024-election/988758.md?page=16)