‘We All Deserve to Have Our Voices Heard’

Since former first lady Michelle Obama has left the White House, she has made it her personal mission to advocate for voting rights. She created the When We All Vote initiative to encourage people to use their voting power and why it is even more important during the COVID-19 pandemic and key elections coming up.

Over the weekend, she used her initiative to team up with The Roots Picnic virtual event to talk more about voter registration and encouraging viewers to vote in the upcoming 2020 elections.

“You’ll get all the tools and resources you need to make sure everyone you know is registered and ready to vote in this upcoming election,” the former first lady shared in the video. “That means your friends, your neighbors, your family. That means from your favorite auntie down to your baby cousin who can vote for the very first time.”

In May, Obama launched a new nonpartisan coalition partnering with local mayors around the country to work new voting policies during the current political climate including online voter registration and mail-in voting.

“Voting is so much bigger than one election, one party, or one candidate. It’s great to feel inspired by candidates and the visions they put forth, but it is by no means a prerequisite to casting a ballot,” she said. “Because at the end of the day, someone is going to be making the decisions about how much money your schools get and how tax money is distributed. Voting gives you a say in those matters.”