Former First Lady Michelle Obama and her “When We All Vote” campaign kicked off their new Culture of Democracy Tour in May.
What Is The “When We All Vote Campaign?”
The voting campaign’s latest initiative aims to register young voters and encourage them to vote in every election. The Culture of Democracy Tour engages communities through voter registration drives, events, sweepstakes, campaigns and other interactive activities. Since its launch in 2018, “When We All Vote’s” commitment to shifting the conversations and culture about voting has made a vast impact.
In 2020, the campaign educated and registered more than 100 million people. Obama is the organization’s co-chair and is joined by Steph Curry, H.E.R., Janelle Monaé, Chris Paul, Shonda Rhimes, Kerry Washington and other high-profile members.
“At a time when fewer young people are identifying with political parties, the work of nonpartisan organizations like When We All Vote has never been more critical,” said Beth Lynk, the executive director, in a press release. “Through the Culture of Democracy Tour this summer, we will bring voting to the culture and meet voters where they are — transforming how they view and participate in democracy and taking this momentum to the biggest stop of all: the ballot box.”
Why Does It Matter?
With more than 40 million Gen Z’ers eligible to vote in the upcoming presidential election in November, it’s a critical time for voter organizations to mobilize young voters. Following the first presidential debate in June, people continue to express their frustrations and concerns about the country’s next leader. Reproductive rights, Supreme Court justice picks, health care and gun violence are only a few of the most pressing issues in the upcoming election.
As more voters share their frustrations and concerns about the candidates, The Culture of Democracy Tour is hitting the road to remind people of their voting power. Representatives for the campaign arrived at The Roots Picnic and Blavity House Party Music Festival in June. The next stop on the tour is in New Orleans for the Essence Festival of Culture and Global Black Economic Forum’s Summit and Conference.
Throughout the rest of the summer, the campaign will continue its efforts by hosting more voter registration drives, producing digital campaigns and using its existing partnerships to increase voter awareness and empower people to show up at the polls in November.