Does star power have power over this election?

Kendall Jenner's Tweet

Imagine being Kendall Jenner, tweeting an “all natural selfie” (with just a little makeup on of course) just minutes after waking up, snapchatting a gym picture, or instagramming the acai bowl you had for breakfast. Celebrities love to give their fans a play-by-play, and their fans look forward to these updates.

Along with sharing their daily lives, many celebrities have shared who they’re voting for in this controversial 2016 election. But the big question is, how much of an effect do celebrity endorsements have on voters?

Some of Hillary Clinton’s celebrity endorsers include Snoop Dogg, Leonardo DiCaprio, Will Ferrell, Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, Kanye West, Katy Perry, 2 Chainz, Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce, Tory Burch, Lena Dunham, Ellen DeGeneres and George Clooney.

Donald Trump has gathered support from Azealia Banks, Sarah Palin, Tim Allen, Clint Eastwood, Kirstie Alley, Charlie Sheen, Hulk Hogan, Tila Tequila, Kid Rock, Dennis Rodman, Willie Robertson and Mike Tyson.

These celebrities use Twitter along with other social media platforms to gather support for their candidate of choice. The combined total following of Kendall Jenner, Snoop Dogg, Beyonce and Katy Perry (all Clinton supporters) is 142.8 million. In contrast, Donald Trump supporters seem to be generally less active on social media. For instance, Willie Robertson, Sarah Palin, Kirstie Alley and Hulk Hogan only have combined Twitter power of 6.3 million.

Young voters might be swayed easily by what their favorite celebrities say online. It’s easy to get caught up in the entertainment of it all, but I hope these inexperienced voters use it as an opportunity to dig deeper into the real issues. It’s important to research the facts and gain a unique perspective on what you believe is right.

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