As people have taken to the streets to decry systemic racism, leaders from When We All Vote are urging eligible voters to take their voices to the ballot box.
In the wake of the senseless and tragic murder of George Floyd, people across the world took to the streets to condemn the systemic racism that has plagued the United States for far too long, and demand change. When We All Vote, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization started by former First Lady Michelle Obama, has supported this call for change by urging all protesters to march to the ballot box.
“Everyone expressing themselves out in the streets, protesting and using their social platforms is so important because we’ve seen how it has impacted change, and it’s really waking people up who may not realize that the the actions they’re taking can be biased in a way,” explained Crystal Carson, When We All Vote’s Communications Director, in a podcast interview with HollywoodLife. “But that’s not all that we can do and it’s not the only thing that we can do to really see change in our country. One of the only ways to really impact change is to go to the polls.”
When We All Vote was started six months prior to the 2018 midterm elections, after Mrs. Obama saw that the 2016 presidential elections had a 20-year low in voter turnout. With a “mission to change the culture around voting” and in turn, increase voter registration, the organization has partnered with several celebrity co-chairs like Selena Gomez, Tom Hanks and Kerry Washington, to spread the message about why it is so important to vote.
Stephanie Young, Managing Director for Culture, Communications, & Media Partnerships from When We All Vote, echoed Crystal, urging the protesters to take their anger and crave for change to the polls. “We’ve got to go from the protests to the ballot box,” she said. “Long term and sustainable change only happens when we make our voices heard at the polls. Right now everybody is looking for their role — everybody has a role as a voter.”
While some might argue that their “vote doesn’t count,” Stephanie countered that by telling HL, “Every time you give your your that vote away, someone else is making all the choices for you, and they are electing people that best represent their values and their interests.”
When We All Vote has resorted to virtual events to help register eligible voters leading up to the 2020 presidential election in November. This Saturday, June 27 at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT, along with The Roots, the organization is launching the 13th Annual Roots Picnic as a virtual broadcast experience and Call To Action event, to register people to vote. Hosted by Questlove, Black Thought and Michelle Obama, the event will be an open forum of music, celebrity appearances and voter registration. When We All Vote has a goal to text 500,000 eligible voters during the event to inspire them to register through their platform.
Available NOW and continuing throughout the broadcast, there will be a call to action to allow fans to register to vote at https://weall.vote/rootspicnic or by texting ROOTS to 56005. Be sure to tune in to The Roots YouTube page on Saturday, June 27th at 8 PM ET to join the picnic!
HollywoodLife.com is also a proud partner of When We All Vote, and you can easily register on our site in the module down below!