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Do celebrities’ voices matter in elections? New Harvard study finds they do

A study by Harvard University finds celebrities can be effective advocates for voter participation.

That’s a message that could prove critical in turning out first-time or younger voters, who “face barriers to their participation, largely due to a dearth of easily available information about the basic mechanics of casting a ballot in their state,” the study found. This campaign season has exploded across social media, with younger voters sharing cat memes (a nod to Trump’s running mate, JD Vance) and coconut tree emojis (a calling card for Harris supporters). Other efforts researched include one by Ariana Grande, who promoted voter registration in 2019 by setting up booths at her concerts during her “Sweetener” world tour, and Kylie Jenner, who in 2020 posted on Instagram a link to register to vote, which resulted in a 1,500% increase in traffic compared to the day prior.

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