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Just because the 2020 election cycle is over doesn’t mean that the work is…

US-ELECTIONS-OBAMA

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Michelle Obama isn’t taking her foot off of the gas in her efforts to maintain voting rights and encourage participation in the electoral process whether it be federally or locally. Recently, the forever First Lady penned an impassioned letter that was cosigned by over 60 of the When We All Vote celebrity ambassadors like Chris Paul, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Jennifer Lopez, Regina Hall, and many, many others. Here’s a small excerpt from the letter.

March 23rd, 2021

To the American People:

We write to you today as citizens who love this country and care deeply about its future. And right now, the most important thing we can do to protect that future is to rise together in support of the For the People Act currently before the Senate—the most significant piece of legislation to strengthen our democracy since the Civil Rights movement.

On January 6th, a violent mob laid siege to our nation’s Capitol, determined to overturn the results of a presidential election that their preferred candidate lost. It was a shocking and outrageous assault on our democracy—and a sobering reminder that we can no longer take our system of self-government for granted. In the months since, a new president and vice president were sworn in and some insurrectionists are now facing justice for their roles in that historic day of shame.

Yet we cannot act as if the threat to American democracy has passed. Already this year, in state houses across the country, more than 250 bills spread across 43 states have been introduced to further weaken our democracy and make it more difficult for Americans to vote.

These bills seek to make it harder to register to vote and cast a ballot by limiting early and mail-in voting and setting up more barriers that particularly impact Black, Brown, and young people. Some of these undemocratic measures have already become law, with others surely to follow.

The goal of the letter is to inform, encourage, and ignite a sense of urgency when it comes to the For The People Act. This landmark legislation would prevent one party from implementing policies that will preclude the record-breaking turnout that we all witnessed during the 2020 cycle. A large part of which includes African-Americans and other marginalized minority groups.

Here are a few of the policies that this measure will cement for the American people:

  1. Expand automatic voter registration, adding as many as 50 million people to voter rolls;
  2. Expand same-day and online voter registration for federal elections, which are especially important for young people and first-time voters;
  3. Allow for pre-registration for 16- and 17-year-olds, so that when they get their driver’s license, they are also registered and ready to vote when they turn 18;
  4. Make Election Day a national holiday, making it easier for more Americans to cast a ballot;

There are several other very important protections that this bill will solidify and we highly suggest you read the letter in its’ entirety HERE. There are lots of powerful people in Washington who are praying to God that you don’t ever vote again. They would like nothing more than your silence which means that it’s time to be LOUD!

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