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Former First Lady Michelle Obama, 58, took to YouTube on July 31 to share an important message and issue a few simple challenges. It’s exactly 100 days till midterm election day, and Michelle’s plea to everyone is to get out and get registered! “Hey, everyone! It’s official—we are just 100 days out from the 2022 midterm elections,” she said in the video, while rocking a delicate gold letter necklace spelling out the word VOTE. “All that work you’ve been doing, all the outreach, the voter registration parties, the efforts to fight voter suppression, that work is more important than ever.”
Michelle went on to explain why she’s encouraging people to get registered to vote early. “Because every American deserves to have their voice heard,” she continued. “Every American deserves to have a say in the future of this country. And this fall, so much is on the ballot: our access to health care, the judges in our courts, and so, so much more.”
Michelle’s three-pronged approach, through her organization @whenweallvote, is as follows. “First, I want you to text VOTE to 56005 to check your voter registration status,” she said. “Second, I want you to ask one friend, just one friend, to check their registration status too. And third, I want to ask you to volunteer with us.” Michelle explained that you can sign up right away at WhenWeAllVote.org. She is the co-chair and founder of the important national, nonpartisan initiative created to increase participation in every election, by closing the age and race gap.
Michelle’s challenge spotlights an important aspect of elections — the enormous importance of an individual vote. “It’s people like you who’ll make all the difference this fall,” she said. “Whether that’s by casting a ballot yourself or by organizing your communities to make sure that all your neighbors can do the same. So I hope you’ll join us. We’ve only got 100 days left, and they’re gonna go fast. That’s why we’ve got to use every minute we’ve got until those polls close to make sure that everyone understands the importance of their voice, and the power of their vote.”
Michelle concluded the video with a special thanks to her viewers and a final thought. “Now, let’s get to work!” she said. The former First Lady announced her ambitious plan to register 1 million new voters and volunteers in an effort to combat voter suppression, back in January. “We’ve got to vote like the future of our democracy depends on it,” she said in an open letter published in the New York Times. “And we must give Congress no choice but to act decisively to protect the right to vote and make the ballot box more accessible for everyone.”