I have a theory: Increasing representation of women anywhere, increases women’s representation everywhere. Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Kamala Harris for president is a recent example of how this could work. Let’s examine it.

Swift follows the example of Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, and Cardi B, and preceded Billie Eilish. Since Swift’s announcement to her 284 million Instagram followers, speculation has been rampant: Will the endorsement tip the polls in Harris’ favor? Will it motivate people to register to vote and actually vote? As of this writing, it appears the answers to those questions are No, Yes, and Maybe, respectively.

An ABC News and Ipsos poll with 3276 adult respondents conducted September 11 – 13, 2024, asked: “The singer-songwriter Taylor Swift has announced that she supports Harris. Does this make you more likely to vote for Harris for president, less likely, or does it make no difference in your vote?” Six percent (6%) said they are more likely to vote for Harris, 13% said they are less likely, and 81% said it made no difference.

Other evidence, however, indicates that Swift has motivated people to register and vote. In the 24 hour period following the endorsement, nearly 406,000 visitors used a link in Swift’s Instagram endorsement for  Vote.gov to register to vote or update an existing registration. A few days later at the MTV Video Music Awards, Swift called upon those who voted for her to receive the Video of the Year award to “vote for something else,” to cheers that nearly drowned out the rest of her statement about voting in the “very important” presidential election.

This is in addition to the fundraising potential and a public spotlight that celebrities like Swift & Beyonce’, etc. can use to make a difference in the political landscape. While we wait for the outcome of the 2024 election, 2 questions come to mind: What if we didn’t have Swift, Beyoncé  and other celebrity endorsers? Conversely, what if we had 100’s of Swifts & Beyoncés? You see –  increasing representation of women anywhere, increases women’s representation everywhere.