Global pop sensation Taylor Swift's endorsement of Kamala Harris may have bolstered the Democratic vice president's efforts to attract young voters, but the big question is: Will this celebrity backing make a difference on Election Day? With a close race for the White House, both Harris and her rival, Republican former president Donald Trump, are pulling out all the stops to win over voters on November 5 and during early voting starting next week. Trump, for his part, dismissed Swift's endorsement on Tuesday night, stating that he is 'not a Taylor fan.' Given the decline in voter registrations among young people in a country where 18 is the voting age, the primary challenge for either campaign might be getting these young voters to register in the first place. Young voters were pivotal in Democratic President Joe Biden's victory over incumbent Trump in 2020, with Biden securing about 61% of the vote compared to Trump's 36% among voters aged 18 to 29, according to Tufts University data. A July 2024 analysis by Tufts University's youth civic engagement group, Circle, revealed a significant drop in voter registrations in 36 states among those aged 18-29 since then. Harris launched her campaign on July 21 after Biden withdrew. 'Registering youths remains a major task in the months ahead,' the analysis noted.

Enter Swift, an artist who tied hip-hop icon Beyonce's record of 30 lifetime awards at the MTV Video Music Awards on Wednesday night. A 2023 Morning Consult poll found that 55% of self-described Swift fans were Democrats and 45% were millennials aged 28 to 43. 'I'm voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them,' Swift wrote on Tuesday to her 284 million Instagram followers, urging them to register to vote and make their own choice. Her post garnered 10.4 million 'likes.' The vote.gov website saw 405,999 visitors in the 24 hours following Swift's shared custom URL with her followers, according to a US government spokesperson. Harris's aides expressed their desire for Swift to actively campaign, possibly by appearing at a rally in her native Pennsylvania, a crucial battleground state. However, the campaign was not involved in Swift's decision to support Harris. The vice president's aides only learned of Swift's endorsement when the 34-year-old entertainer posted it on Instagram minutes after Harris stepped off the debate stage in Philadelphia on Tuesday night.

The question of influence: What impact does a celebrity endorsement have? A 2008 Northwestern University report found that Oprah Winfrey's endorsement added a million votes to Barack Obama's tally. However, a 2010 North Carolina State University report found that endorsements by George Clooney and Angelina Jolie had little effect on political outcomes. Margaretha Bentley, a professor at Arizona State University who studies Swift's social influence, is uncertain about the pop singer's impact. She asked her students earlier this year whether a Swift endorsement would matter. Some said they would follow Swift's lead, while others said it would prompt them to do more research. 'Some students told me they listen to celebrities when it comes to, like, what coffee they would drink, not politics,' Bentley said. A Swift fan at the VMA awards on Wednesday, Morgan Paris, commented: 'It's good that she said what she feels. And I mean, I feel like her politics and her music are two separate things, so you can't really combine them.'

Ashley Spillane, in a study published last month by Harvard's Kennedy School, noted that non-profits found 'higher rates of online voter registration or poll worker sign-ups when a celebrity promotes these calls to action.' 'While some polling shows that people claim they aren’t influenced by celebrity voices when it comes to politics, more rigorous evidence indicates that these voices are incredibly powerful,' Spillane said. The Harris campaign and its supporters are capitalizing on the endorsement, announcing pre-orders for their latest campaign merchandise: Swift fan-inspired friendship bracelets. The progressive group MoveOn.org is selling Swift T-shirts that reference her ongoing Eras concert tour. The shirt, reading 'In My Voting Era,' is the fastest-selling item the group has offered this year, according to spokesperson Britt Jacovich. Voters of Tomorrow, an organization aiming to boost the youth vote, is partnering with the informal group 'Swifties for Harris' on a phone bank on Saturday to target college students in Georgia and Wisconsin, both key battleground states.

Swift 'is one of the most influential people of our generation, and we're definitely excited to see how we can take her message and turn that into more political action and get more people involved,' said Jessica Siles, a spokesperson for Voters of Tomorrow.