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How to endorse a political candidate on Facebook and lose friends forever

How to endorse a political candidate on Facebook and lose friends forever

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Facebook is a place for making friends, sharing photos, and stoking bitter political arguments that last a lifetime. And while the social network pays a lot of attention to the first two activities, it's rather neglected the third. Not any more: as of this week, you can publicly endorse political candidates on Facebook.

There's a whole guide to this process in Facebook's Help Center, but it's pretty straightforward. Just go to the Facebook page of a candidate you like, select the "Endorsement" tab on the left-hand sidebar, and hit "Endorse" on the right. You can then choose who to share this endorsement with whoever you like — friends, enemies, soon-to-be-enemies — and write a little message to go along with it.

If you endorse both candidates they take away your right to vote. (Image credit: Facebook)


Maybe you could post something nice about the spirit of bipartisanship, or the meaning of democracy? Or maybe you can tell everyone who doesn't like your candidate to go die in a house fire. Whatever you like — the internet is all about sharing!

Facebook warns that if you make the post public it may "appear on the candidate's Page," and it's worth noting that the new feature doesn't just seem to be limited to the election; it'll be available for any future political campaigns providing candidates have enabled it on their page. Good news for Facebook: the enraging, biased, soul-crushing political engagement never has to end.