I won’t say she would have NO impact. But any hypothetical influence runs into the huge practical barrier that cannot be bypassed. Which is that the youth vote is inherently unreliable. Could she theoretically have a solid impact on an election? Sure. Will she have a solid impact on an election if she goes all out? Magic 8-ball says (over and over): ‘Reply hazy, try again.’
Something like MTV’s Rock the Vote? Taylor Swift could set up voter registration booths at her concerts. Put links to voter registration websites on her Instagram or whatever it is the kids use today. Hold a voter registration drive in a few big cities in battleground states. Maybe she can even recruit a few more pop/rock stars to spread the message. No need to endorse any particular candidate. Just convince them that voting is important and it matters.
The margins in the last election were as small as a few hundred (Colorado Representative), or 11,000 (Georgia presidential). Every vote will count in races like these.
Damn I’m glad I “asked the question out loud”. What_Exit’s idea of Swift using her social media (when I had it in my head for her to bring it up to her live concert attendees) was a “duh”-facepalm moment for me. And your idea of her setting up voter registration booths and then links to voter registration sites on her Instagram is genius as well.
I’d be very surprised if there weren’t people getting people to register to vote at her shows. It’s super common at large music venues. The volunteers work before the show and then get to see the show for free.
Nothing she does would surprise me. Her fans have grown up with her. Millions are the voting age.
As for social media? Others have shown what it can do to elections.
Scary.
The “Motor Voter Law” has existed since the early 1990s. R.E.M. were one of its biggest supporters.
Anecdote: Around the same time, Smashing Pumpkins, who were big on benefit concerts, were asked to play at a fundraiser for a pro-choice organization. They said that they all had their opinions about abortion, and their reasons for them, but they said they only wanted to publicly endorse organizations that everyone could agree on, things like a school for disabled children (two of the original members had disabled siblings), animal shelters, food banks, that sort of thing.
The thing about young people voting is that while they may make a lot of noise about getting out the vote, they just don’t show up to actually vote or even mail in their vote.
The voting turn-out for the last mid-term election was the second highest in the last 30 years. A whopping 27% of voters between 18 and 29 actually voted. That is a pretty poor showing.
From NPR:
Young voter turnout was second-highest for midterm elections in past 30 years : NPR
I dunno. I think she’d get Swift-Boated! 
Swift-Boated. See what I did there?
But I’m sure she has millions of voting aged fans that didn’t see her in a live show. I’m sure she is capable of influencing lots of people that didn’t see her live.
A quick check shows me that she has 270 million followers on Instagram. They aren’t all US voters and they might not all even be fans, but she has reach.
“Pick up the tempo,” said Taylor, Swiftly.
The world would be a better place if people did their own research, used their own minds and formed their own opinions, rather than mimicking the thoughts & opinions of some celebrity, preacher, boss, advertisement, door knocker etc, etc, etc.
Celebrities & such that the average person knows little to nothing about or their circumstances.
This thread touches on what’s wrong and how the mess we’re in became the mess we’re in. It’s because too many people are impressionable followers.
Each time I see an interview with ‘the person on the street’ the day before voting is to take place and they claim not to have decided who to vote for yet, I cringe. If these people haven’t decided already, based on several years of a candidates history & prior performance, whether it be in politics or civilian life, maybe they shouldn’t be voting at all.
The last thing we need is ‘people of influence’ deciding our electoral for us. That is essentially exactly what we have now. Do the research and think for yourselves people!
Perhaps celebrities etc. helping to raise awareness about issues could be viewed separately—and given careful scrutiny. After all, there are celebrities out there who’s recommendation of a particular chocolate bar I wouldn’t follow, never mind who will run the country (in collusion with their top donors & minders).
Having typed this the thought struck me that those with blind stupidity must be taken into account.
Think about it. What halfway intelligent person, typically struggling to get by day to day, would vote to elect someone that strips away their rights, social programs and increases the amount of tax they pay, insuring they’ll never get ahead. And yet we have these very souls clamoring to put such a person in power.
And they wouldn’t even realize the hypocrisy.
That’s precisely why she could have a lot of influence. If she makes the youth demographic less unreliable, it could swing a lot of votes.
But the “research” half the country does is listening to Fox News. If the choice is between Rupert Murdoch and Taylor Swift deciding our electoral outcomes, I’ll take the latter please.
In that case vote for whoever will put more money into education. It’s clearly what’s needed 
My guess is she would only have a small impact in terms of absolute numbers. Most of the electorate can’t be swayed, and an entertainer getting into endorsement of a political candidate is a lot more like to lead to said entertainer getting canceled by people of the opposing political view than it is to changing anyone’s mind. But of course a small absolute number might be enough in a close election.
She wouldn’t have much impact by telling people who are going to vote anyway whom to vote for. But she could have a significant impact by telling people who wouldn’t have voted to vote.
I thought it was funny. 
I am not hopeful that younger people are going to vote in big numbers regardless of who exhorts them to do so. It hasn’t really happened yet, and I fear it never will.
I am a miserable cynic. As stated below:
Hope somebody proves us both wrong some day.
I talked to the Lil’wrekker, at length about this today.
She said, “Just stand back and watch us!”
She claims Taylor is quite vocal on policy and candidates.
Take it like you will, I couldn’t prove it.
(The lil’wrekker is also planning to go to a comic-con in a few weeks as Barbie, so there you have it.
She is a registered voter)