Former first lady Michelle Obama has launched a voter registration initiative in advance of the 2018 midterm elections.
At the helm of the nonpartisan, not-for-profit When We All Vote sit some of Hollywood’s biggest names, including Tom Hanks, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Janelle Monae.
Obama, Hanks, Miranda and Monae serve as co-chairs of the organization, alongside basketball player Chris Paul and country singers Faith Hill and Tim McGraw.
“It’s up to each and every one of us to make sure our government doesn’t just represent a small sum — not just the most powerful — but all of us,” Hanks said in a statement released with the launch on Wednesday.
When We All Vote aims to raise voter participation rates during the election this November. In the 2014 midterm elections, just 36.4 percent of eligible citizens voted — the lowest participation rate in midterms in 70 years.
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“If we really want our voices to be heard, we need to vote in every election — not just for president but for every election,” Obama said in a video on the initiative’s website.
According to goals listed in the statement, the initiative seeks to recruit volunteers who will register voters in their communities, spark conversation with weekly online and offline efforts and provide voters an easy place to register to vote in partnership with Rock the Vote.
“When we all vote, we are making strides toward a more perfect union,” Miranda said in a statement. “When we all vote, those who we elect pay attention.”
