Voter registration has reportedly increased by 400-500% in the last two days, according to TargetSmart senior adviser Tom Bonier.
He told CBS News on Thursday that those numbers are in part thanks to what’s been dubbed the “Swift Effect” after the singer-songwriter endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz in this year’s presidential election.
“It’s really unlike anything I’ve seen,” Bonier said. “We’re seeing a [400] or 500% increase. And people come in, trying to register to vote immediately following the debate and in that period after Taylor Swift posted on Instagram.”
Additionally, he noted that voter registration isn’t slowing down. In fact, “we’ve seen it continue through the last two days into today,” Bonier continued.
He also credited the boost to Swift’s call to register to vote at the VMAs again on Wednesday. “If you are over 18, please register to vote for something else that’s very important, the … presidential election,” she told fans.
The result, Bonier said, was “somewhere in the neighborhood of [9,000] to 10,000 people per hour just hitting our system. That’s not indicative of everything, but it’s a lot.”
CNN also reported that Vote.gov saw 405,999 people referred to the site directly from Swift’s Instagram in the 24 hours that followed her endorsement.
Swift endorsed Harris and Walz moments after the first presidential debate concluded on Tuesday. The singer wrote in part, “I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election. I’m voting for Harris 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 Tim Walz, who has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF and a woman’s right to her own body for decades,” Swift concluded, signing her message, “Taylor Swift, Childless Cat Lady.”
