Emily Fritz | a&e editor

It used to be common practice in polite conversation to avoid two things: religion and politics. But now, with higher intensity than elections past, even some of pop culture’s biggest names are becoming more engaged in the conversation.

In the 24 hours following Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris, the global pop star led 337,826 visitors to the vote.gov site from her Instagram story, according to Reuters.

This is not the first time that Swift has endorsed a presidential candidate, but in another tight election, fans were eagerly anticipating the Pennsylvania native to declare her intentions, hoping that she may possess the power to sway their undecided peers.

“When passions are high, political engagement and participation are things that are valued. It’s understandable [to think] ‘Oh, I hope that a celebrity that I admire or a public figure will use their platform in a way that’s constructive,’” said Philip Hensley-Robin, executive director of Common Cause Pennsylvania, a nonpartisan organization focused on protecting voter rights and the election.

When someone with a major platform encourages others to be engaged, it’s a good thing, according to Hensley-Robin, but demanding your favorite celebrity or public figure to weigh in is asking too much.

“Everyone has an obligation to be civically engaged and to vote — that’s a sign of responsible citizenship, but not everyone has a primitive obligation to make public statements about politics,” he said.

In recent months, voters have laid the pressure on thick for their favorite artists. Rising star Chappell Roan, who identifies as a lesbian, received backlash over her decision not to endorse a candidate, with many calling for her to be canceled or deplatformed.

Founding Chief Executive Officer of voting rights organization New Pennsylvania Project Kadida Kenner said that she understood Roan’s hesitation to share her voting intentions.

“I can’t fault anyone who’s in the spotlight and force them … to speak out on these things,” Kenner said, “[especially] if she is part of a marginalized community … and not wanting to be the poster child for all things LGBTQ, because we’re not all a monolith.”

“Black folks can’t speak for all Black folks. Latinos can’t speak for all Latinos. I don’t think that anyone who’s part of a marginalized group should be called to the carpet to have to endorse,” Kenner said.

Pointing to former President Donald Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden earlier this week, Kenner noticed an increase in Latino endorsements for Harris after comedian Tony Hinchcliffe referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.”

She believes that groups who have had their communities speculated about — particularly Puerto Rican and Haitian communities — are feeling pressure to endorse.

“Those who are privileged do have some kind of onus to speak out,” Kenner said. “In order for us to really have change … I do believe that particularly white folks should use their point of privilege.”

Voter Empowerment Education & Enrichment Movement (VEEEM) Executive Director and Founder Maryn Formley is less convinced that these endorsements pull weight with voters.

“I don’t think there’s really a purpose, it’s just the thing that we’re doing.” Formley said. “The same thing was happening with the war, where people were expecting their celebrities to either be pro-Israel or pro-Palestine, and they were canceling over that.”

No race is excluded from the public rally for political support. On Oct. 15, the cast of “West Wing” reunited virtually in support of U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pennsylvania, as he seeks reelection.

The television drama from the early 2000s may not have mobilized voters as much as they intended to, but Formley says that the increase in endorsements might instead be galvanizing celebrities.

“I think they really do feel these values and they feel empowered to speak up on what they think is right,” she said. “But I do think, though, that … for the public to be asking for people to endorse, I think is kind of where it becomes a trendy thing.”

Formley doesn’t believe that the endorsements can be used as any litmus for how the election will play out in the coming days. With each individual algorithm, we digest our news in an echo chamber, whether intentional or not.

Of course, with any digital footprint, the words of our most envied individuals are going to give the illusion of holding the most influence, but high-profile involvement doesn’t become concerning until you look behind the words and into the finances.

Common Cause has been a longtime advocate for campaign finance reform, and Hensley-Robin explained how the loudest people — millionaires and billionaires who use money as their mouthpiece instead of their soap box — can become the most influential.

“What is someone getting in exchange for all this money that they’re spending in the election? And doesn’t that mean that their voice is multiplied 100-fold or 1000-fold more than just an ordinary voter?” he said, “We’re all equal citizens with an equal voice, which is really the democratic ideal that we’re aspiring to here.”