By Quincy San, Nov. 5, 2024
Celebrities may not the first people that come to mind when people think about politics, nevertheless, they play a very influential role in convincing Americans to register to vote and who to choose on the ballots.
Celebrities and influencers are very popular among young voters, and they can persuade many students to register to vote for the first time in their lives, a recent study by Harvard University’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation revealed. According to the same study, the number of new voter registrations skyrocket when a celebrity encourages their fanbase to engage in civic participation.
In 2018, singer-songwriter Taylor Swift posted a link on her Instagram story encouraging her then–112 million followers to register to vote at vote.org. Within 72 hours, 250,000 registrants used the website to register to vote.
Kylie Jenner also took to Instagram to promote voter registration in 2020 when she posted a link to her then–196 million followers. The site later reported a 1,500% increase in user traffic compared to the prior day and an 80% increase in total users that registered to vote.
Also in 2020, YouTube celebrity David Dobrik partnered with the nonprofit organization HeadCount to give away five Tesla vehicles to followers who were registered to vote through a unique registration link. Dobrik posted the call on multiple social media platforms, where he has over 14 million followers. A grand total of 67.1% of the giveaway entrants would go on to vote in that year’s election.
Celebrities and influencers not only raise awareness for voter registration, but they also actively campaign for and openly support presidential candidates.
After the conclusion of the presidential debate last month, Taylor Swift took to Instagram to show her support for Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz. Within 24 hours of announcing her support for Harris, Vote.org recorded nearly 340,000 users visiting the site and over 52,000 registrations, with over 10,000 coming from battleground states.
Retired quarterback and Pro Football Hall of Famer Brett Favre did local television ads as part of a $10 million advertising effort in Pennsylvania in support of former president Donald Trump.
Celebrities and influencers alike also attend rallies to raise support for their preferred candidates, speaking on their behalf and even giving musical performances.
Earlier this month, SpaceX founder and current chairman of X (formerly Twitter) Elon Musk joined Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Musk made a grand entrance as he took the stage alongside the former president, jumping up and down with his arms raised upward.
Musk continued to show support for Trump the following day, during Sunday Night Football as the Cowboys took on the Steelers in Pittsburgh. He was captured on video donning a “Make America Great Again” cap while waving a towel in his suite.
Musk also announced a plan to give away $1 million each day until Election Day to a randomly selected individual. To be eligible to receive the money, the person must be registered to vote in a battleground state and have signed a petition from his political action committee.
Primetime Emmy winner Kerry Washington and actor/director Tony Goldwyn endorsed Vice President Harris for president at the 2024 Democratic National Convention. Both took the stage and spoke in support of Harris, rallying the crowd and leading chants.
Musicians such as Megan Thee Stallion, Bon Iver and Quavo performed at campaign events for Vice President Harris, while former president Trump had musicians like Kid Rock perform at his rallies, with other musicians such as Jason Aldean and Sexyy Red publicly posting their support for Trump on social media.
Aryan Mitharwal, a computer science student, said celebrities have more influence on elections than people think.
“I believe that a celebrity can influence the outcome of an election in really big ways,” Mitharwal said. “Sometimes swing states are called by just thousands of votes. Celebrities oftentimes influence those votes.”
Students at Cal Poly Pomona believe there is a difference between supporting a candidate and incentivizing the public to vote for a certain candidate. Alvan Zhuang, a computer science student, said he thinks incentivizing people to vote for a candidate undermines the whole point of an election.
“I believe that celebrities influencing elections is a good thing as long as there aren’t incentives to it,” Zhuang said. “I’ve been seeing a lot about Elon Musk handing out money or other prizes in return for certain dealings with Trump supporters. That is not good for the integrity of elections.”
Although some students may oppose actions such as offering cash in exchange for a vote, many CPP students believe celebrities and influencers should not refrain from showing public support for a candidate. Dylan Ly, a mechanical engineering student, said that every person, including celebrities, has the right to support candidates in various ways.
“Celebrities can do whatever they want in that aspect,” Ly said. “As long as they are not endangering people with their actions, they can grow support for any candidate they wish.”
Regardless of what people may say, the same Harvard study states there is “rigorous evidence” showing celebrities and influencers have power when it comes to raising voter awareness during election season. Nonprofits reported significantly higher rates of online voter registration each time a celebrity like Taylor Swift or an influencer like David Dobrik posted on their social media platforms, encouraging their followers to get involved in voting. The impact of these influences will be seen in the election results and the decision of who takes office next January.