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The American presidential elections have reached a crescendo. For Muslim American voters drained after witnessing 13 months of American complicity in the genocide in Gaza, the choice between a Harris or Trump presidency is a bit like gripping the tail of a python or tumbling into a dark abyss.

But regardless of where one stands on the situation in Gaza, it’s impossible to ignore that, now more than ever in the past eight years, American democracy is at stake. Unfortunately, no matter how much Americans say their democracy is at stake, this urgency rarely translates into voter turnout.

There are a few reasons for America’s low voter turnout.

First, unlike other developed countries, the US doesn’t automatically register citizens to vote when they turn 18. Second, voting is a complex process with photo ID requirements, election deadlines, absentee ballot rules, and early voting protocols varying from state to state. There’s also the issue of trust. Americans are passionate about hot-button political issues like immigration, climate change, gun violence, and abortion rights. However, their faith in the government to do something about it is low, with just two per cent of Americans trusting the government to do what is right “just about always”.

The result is that only about two-thirds of Americans will show up to vote in presidential elections, with younger voters particularly affected by political apathy. However, American capitalism may finally have discovered a remedy for voter apathy and low voter turnout, and that is the cult of American celebrity.

America’s star-studded banner

To understand why American celebrities can influence if you vote and who you vote for, we have to understand America’s consumer culture, which has always pushed people to shape their identity through their consumption.

This consumer culture has masterfully marketed celebrities as ideal figures to emulate. Social media intensifies this by making celebrities’ lives more accessible, fostering a sense of connection and relatability. By commodifying celebrities, American capitalism has fostered a parasocial relationship in which fans not only feel a connection to them but also perceive them as relatable figures to emulate in their own lives.

Because celebrities are such a powerful force in American culture, a celebrity’s support for a particular politician can allow the candidate to reach new audiences, fundraise, attract large crowds, and draw press attention.

For instance, in 2020, Hailey Bieber appeared among other celebrities in ads targeting America’s eight million new teens to have a voting plan, saying voting “will impact millions of lives — especially women.” In 2019, Ariana Grande also promoted voter registration by setting up booths at her US concerts. In 2020, when Kylie Jenner told her then-196 million followers to register to vote, it led to an 80pc increase in voter registrations. In 2020, YouTube celebrity David Dobrik gave away Teslas as a gimmick to promote new voter registration. And in 2022, when Billie Eilish, Mariah Carey, and Alicia Keys took to social media to address the shortage of poll workers almost 60,000 potential new poll workers signed up.

According to an August 2024 Harvard study on celebrity civic engagement, “Seeing a celebrity you respect celebrate their identity as a voter can change your perception of what it even means to be a voter. It can inspire and excite you to make civic participation integral to how you see the world.”

Of course, haters will hate, with some going as far as telling celebrities to stay in their lane. In 2018, Fox journalist Laura Ingraham famously told NBA player LeBron James to “shut up and dribble,” saying she was not interested in political advice from “someone who gets paid $100 million a year to bounce a ball”. Another NBA player, Draymond Green, had the best retort when he said, “They say athletes can’t speak on politics. Well, I find that funny because everyone thinks they can speak basketball.”

Celebrities: powerful and free tool to drive political support

Even with occasional backlash, celebrities are a powerful and free asset for political campaigns. And now more than ever, they are unafraid to enter the political fray and lend their support to a candidate.

Consider Taylor Swift.

In 2018, Swift shared a single Instagram story asking her then-112 million followers to register to vote at vote.org. Within 24 hours, 65,000 new voters had registered. This year, when she endorsed Kamala Harris, half a million people registered to vote in 24 hours.

In her 2020 documentary, Miss Americana, Swift gives viewers a glimpse into private conversations around politics. The audience sees the teary-eyed pop star telling her parents and management, “This is something that I know is right, and I need to be on the right side of history. And if [Phil Bredesen] doesn’t win, then at least I tried… it really is a big deal to me”. While her management team can be heard warning her that posting about politics can harm Swift’s career, endorsing political candidates does not seem to have harmed Swift, who is currently on the highest-grossing tour in music history.

A mutually beneficial relationship

To be clear, American celebrities are not just turning up unpaid to support American democracy for democracy’s sake. Celebrities and political candidates make a mutually supportive relationship.

Just as political campaigns benefit from celebrity support, helping them reach prospective voters, a celebrity aligning themselves with a candidate is a low-effort, high-pay-off way to get in the spotlight and become known for something bigger and more profound.

For instance, Beyonce’s endorsement of Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election granted her access to prestigious political circles and events with influential figures in politics, activism, and philanthropy. This elevated her status from entertainer to fearless leader, opening the door to furthering her advocacy work with her BeyGOOD Foundation.

The same is true for Leonardo DiCaprio, who frequently endorses candidates (most recently Harris) who prioritise climate change and environmental policies as a way to amplify the issues he cares deeply about to a much broader audience.

But does celebrity endorsement translate to a ballot win?

Before Harris replaced Biden on the presidential ticket, the Biden campaign’s energy was as lacklustre and unimpressive as Biden himself, making Trump feel like an inevitability. However, Harris’s nomination as the Democratic presidential candidate in August 2024 rapidly reenergised the party.

Since emerging as the presidential nominee, high-profile celebrity endorsements have followed Harris on the campaign trail.

Most recently, Beyonce appeared alongside Harris at a rally in Houston — and, if rumours are to be believed, Trump was late to his rally the same night because he was in his limo watching the Harris/Beyonce show. Other mega-celebrities are also endorsing Harris from Arnold Schwarzenegger (who himself has been a Republican governor), Jennifer Lopez, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Sarah Jessica Parker, Bad Bunny, billionaires Mark Cuban and Bill Gates, and Charli XCX, who tweeted “kamala IS brat” in response to Harris’ campaign coopting the “brat summer” trend. The cast of Marvel’s Avengers recently posted a video voicing their support for Harris and musical superstar Billie Eilish and her brother also announced their support.

The Trump campaign also has its celebrity supporters with Trump himself a product of the cult of celebrity. However, celebrities attached to his campaign are either a) not prominent household names — particularly for the younger generation, which needs more cajoling to get out the vote — (think yesteryear stars like Kid Rock, Dr Phil, Paula Deen and Dennis Quaid) or b) are celebrities who as problematic and controversial as Trump himself (think Kanye, Elon Musk, and Mel Gibson).

A free for all

Even brands and publications are weighing in on the 2024 presidential elections. The Harris campaign has a 20-piece Designers for Democracy collection from top designers such as Vera Wang, Prabal Gurung (who designed a shirt that says reproductive rights = human rights), Thom Brown, Gabriela Hearst, and Aurora James (who designed a shirt that says “America is an Idea”).

Meanwhile, makeup brand Glossier has team members from Ignite National, a civic engagement organisation, stationed at stores nationwide to encourage voter registration.

And recently, in an unprecedented move, Nika Soon-Shiong, daughter of Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong, made headlines when she said the publication would not endorse a candidate in 2024, adding that “for me, genocide is a line in the sand.” Her father, Patrick Soon-Shiong, later refuted her comments, saying that she was not involved in the publication’s decision not to endorse a candidate.

The Los Angeles Times controversy is significant because it indicates a rift between the presidential candidates and certain voter blocs who feel marginalised and ignored, particularly in light of the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

But does any of this even matter? Does a big celebrity necessarily mean a big impact? Does a celebrity leveraging their platform and brands selling presidential candidate merchandise make a difference when it’s time to cast a ballot?

In an interview with History.com, NYU Tisch School of Arts Professor Laurence Maslon, expressed skepticism, saying that celebrity endorsements do more for the celebrity than the candidate.

“I think the reality and the irony is that an endorsement does more for the endorser than the endorsee,” said Maslon. “I really wonder if any celebrity endorsement ever won a candidate a race.”

However, according to an August 2024 Harvard study, there is “rigorous evidence that [celebrity] voices are incredibly powerful” in promoting civic engagement and altering polling numbers.

As my therapist likes to say, two things can be true simultaneously. One truth is that despite record-breaking voter participation levels in recent elections, the US still ranks 31st out of 50 developed nations in eligible voter participation. The second truth is that there is no single greater factor to having your voice heard and directing our future and our children’s futures than participating in our democracy by voting.

And if it takes Taylor Swift to save America’s faltering democracy, I’ll take it.