Vote.gov Visits Surge After Post
Taylor Swift‘s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris led to a surge of visitors to Vote.gov, the U.S. government website that helps citizens understand how they can register to vote.
According to a spokesperson for the U.S. Government Services Administration, Swift’s endorsement post on Instagram led directly to 337,826 people visiting vote.gov.
“As of 2:00 P.M. on Wednesday, September 11, there have been 337,826 visitors to vote.gov referred from the custom URL created and shared by Ms. Swift,” the spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter.
Vote.gov does not register visitors to vote but rather directs them to their local state election websites for more specific voting information. It uses data analytic tools to monitor referrals to the site, including referrals from custom links, such as the one used by Swift in her Instagram post.
Swift endorsed Harris Tuesday night after her debate with former President Trump, writing “I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them,” the Grammy-winning singer wrote. “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.”
“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,” she added. “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.”
Trump, meanwhile, responded to her endorsement on Fox News Wednesday morning, saying he “was not a Taylor Swift fan” and that “she’ll probably pay a price for it in the marketplace.”