Michelle Obama encourages voter registration in star-studded PSA

CNN/Stylemagazine.com Newswire | 7/19/2018, 11:42 a.m.
Michelle Obama wants to get out the vote this November -— and she has recruited a star-studded roster to spread …
Former First Lady Michelle Obama

By Jennifer Hansler, CNN

(CNN) -- Michelle Obama wants to get out the vote this November -— and she has recruited a star-studded roster to spread the word about voter registration.

The former first lady appears in a PSA released Thursday from the new organization "When We All Vote" alongside actor Tom Hanks, Broadway star Lin-Manuel Miranda, Houston Rockets player Chris Paul, and singers Janelle Monae, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, all of whom are co-chairs of the group.

"If we really want our voices to be heard, we need to vote in every election. Not just for president, but for every office: school board, statehouse, Senate, all of them," Obama says in the nearly two-minute video. "When we all vote, we determine our future."

The former first lady tweeted Thursday that she's "excited to be a part of @WhenWeAllVote to inspire and empower all eligible voters to make their voices heard."

Although the organization bills itself as "nonpartisan," it is helmed by a number of Obama administration alumni, according to Politico, and many of its celebrity co-chairs have traditionally backed Democrats. According to its website, "When We All Vote" is aimed at bringing "together citizens, institutions, and organizations" on voter registration efforts and is planning a week of events nationwide in September.

Since leaving the White House, Obama herself has stayed largely away from the midterm campaign trail. However, in public appearances she has not shied away from criticisms of the Trump administration.

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