The fault in our stars: How valuable are celebrity endorsements?

By Olivia Turner | Arts & Life Editor

As the November election approaches, voices are growing louder on the topic of who to vote for. These voices can come from friends, family and the candidates themselves. Now, even celebrities are joining in the chant.

On Sept. 10, minutes after the presidential debate, Taylor Swift posted her endorsement of Kamala Harris on Instagram. In the post, she said she did so as response to AI-generated photos of her endorsing Trump which had been circulating the internet. Because of this, she wanted to be “transparent” about her vote.

According to Reuters, Swift’s post drew 406,000 people to vote.gov, a website run by the U.S. General Service Administration that directs people to state-by-state voter information.

Billie Eilish and fellow musician, FINNEAS, her brother, endorsed Harris on Sept. 17. The buzz around endorsements continued to grow with a Washington Post article posted on Sept. 19 about how rapper Bad Bunny could have power in swaying the opinions of a large demographic of young Latin voters.

Dr. Dave Bridge, an associate professor of political science who teaches a course on campaigns and elections, said he thinks celebrity endorsements don’t really tend to persuade voters who are set in their thinking — unless that celebrity is Taylor Swift.

“We saw it with hundreds of thousands of people registering to vote the day she endorsed Kamala Harris,” Bridge said. “So maybe, if she posts something on the day before Election Day or on Election Day, and that encourages a couple thousand people in Wisconsin to vote, that is a big effect.”

Dallas senior Hannah Williams, a political science major, said she personally tries not to let celebrities sway her vote, as politics are often not their field of specialty.

“I think who someone votes for is personal to them,” Williams said.

In agreement with Bridge, Williams said she also believes Taylor Swift to have the power to actually sway voters in their decision, especially those who may not have been planning on voting at all.

“I feel like that could get a lot of people out to the polls to vote for Kamala, because they’re like, ‘If Taylor Swift is voting for Kamala, then I’m gonna vote for Kamala,’” Williams said.

Washington, D.C. senior Andrew Stroka, a political science minor, said there would be more traction if celebrities simply encouraged their followers to vote at all instead of promoting their own opinions.

Celebrity endorsements can be difficult to trust, he said, as celebrities may be paid to endorse certain candidates and do events with them.

“I think a lot of times celebrities say they do the education, but they’re like ‘Oh I get a check, and I just have to say this? I’m definitely going to do that,’” Stroka said.

Stroka said celebrity endorsements can be unfair toward voters, as celebrities aren’t on the same playing field as a typical American.

“A lot of times, a normal voter isn’t going to be able to relate to someone with all that fame and money,” Stroka said.

Dr. Benjamin Kleinerman, a professor of political science, said most of research done on celebrity endorsements proves they are not effective in swaying political opinions.

“I think most everyone feels essentially the same way these students do,” Kleinerman said.