Michelle
Obama
announces
week of
action
to sign
up
voters By
ASHLEY
THOMAS
APNews.com
WASHINGTON
-
Michelle
Obama is
marking
the 53rd
anniversary
of the
Voting
Rights
Act by
urging
Americans
to
participate
in a
week of
action
to get
people
signed
up to
vote.
The
former
first
lady, a
co-chairwoman
of a
nonpartisan
organization
to
encourage
voting,
announced
Monday
that the
When We
All Vote
Week of
Action
will be
held
Sept.
22-29.
She
said
members
of When
We All
Vote
will be
traveling
the
country
to
register
voters
and get
them
excited
about
the
November
midterm
elections,
when
Democrats
hope to
capitalize
on a
wave of
anger
against
President
Donald
Trump
and take
back
control
of
Congress
from the
Republicans.
“With so
much at
stake in
our
country,
sitting
on the
sidelines
isn’t an
option,”
Mrs.
Obama
said in
an email
to
supporters.
Flagship
events
will be
held in
at least
12
cities,
including
Detroit,
Los
Angeles,
Miami,
Chicago
and New
York.
The
group
wants
volunteers
to host
events
in other
communities
that
week as
well.
Other
co-chairs
of the
group
include
actor
Tom
Hanks;
“Hamilton”
creator
Lin-Manuel
Miranda;
singers
Janelle
Monae,
Faith
Hill and
Tim
McGraw;
and NBA
point
guard
Chris
Paul of
the
Houston
Rockets.
The
organization
said
they
anticipate
that
Mrs.
Obama
and
other
co-chairs
will
attend
some of
the
events.
The
Voting
Rights
Act,
which
was
signed
into law
by
President
Lyndon
B.
Johnson
on Aug.
6, 1965,
prohibits
racial
discrimination
in
voting.
Mrs.
Obama
said
it’s
important
to
recognize
the
organizers,
marchers
and
other
volunteers
who
helped
get the
law
passed.
“We
want to
honor
their
legacy
and
continue
their
work to
ensure
that
every
eligible
American
cast
their
vote,
work
that is
far from
finished,”
the
former
first
lady
said in
a video.
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