Taylor Swift has already made a massive impact on the upcoming US Presidential election after voicing her support for Kamala Harris.
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The singer, 34, had taken to Instagram earlier in the week to reveal that she would be voting for Harris in the November election when she goes up against Donald Trump, sharing an impassioned post.
She wrote: "Like many of you, I watched the debate tonight. If you haven’t already, now is a great time to do your research on the issues at hand and the stances these candidates take on the topics that matter to you the most. As a voter, I make sure to watch and read everything I can about their proposed policies and plans for this country.
"Recently I was made aware that AI of ‘me’ falsely endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential run was posted to his site. It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation. It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth."
Taylor added: "I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election. I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them.
"I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos. 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."
She urged others to also have their say in the election and make the choice that serves them best, writing: "I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice. Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make.
"I also want to say, especially to first time voters: Remember that in order to vote, you have to be registered! I also find it’s much easier to vote early. I’ll link where to register and find early voting dates and info in my story."
She ended her post by writing: "With love and hope, Taylor Swift. Childless Cat Lady," with the latter being in reference to derogatory comments made by Trump's vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance.
And Taylor's call to action urging people to register to vote has already had an immediate effect, as an astonishing surge in Americans registering to vote has been reported.
According to the General Services Administration, which runs vote.gov, less than 24 hours after Taylor shared her post, an additional 338,000 people had visited the custom URL the singer had provided - and the number is still going up.
Tom Bonier, from the data firm TargetSmart, told CBS News: "What we saw was this really massive increase. We’re calling it ‘the Swift effect’ now, because it’s really unlike anything I’ve seen.
"We’re seeing a 400 or 500 per cent increase in people coming to try to register to vote immediately following the debate, and in that period after Taylor Swift posted on Instagram."
He added: "What’s really remarkable about that is, usually you’ll see these increases and they’ll kind of fade away. This time we’ve seen the increase continue through the last two days, into today.
"We’re seeing this continued spike of four or five times what you would normally see."
He added that according to data from 2020, "over 80 percent" of Americans who registered to vote this close to an election would end up casting a ballot.
