First Lady Michelle Obama’s message to Georgia voters? ‘The power is in your hands’

With one week to go until the November 5 elections, voting rights organizations are doing everything they can to encourage voters from across the political spectrum to exercise their right to vote. At Atlanta’s Gateway Center Arena, these efforts include a star-studded gathering of the nonpartisan organizations When We All Vote, headlined by none other than former First Lady Michelle Obama.

The crowd at Tuesday’s event was electric, with attendees filling the stands and gathering on the floor below the stage. Many of them were local HBCU attendees, some carrying signs that read “voting is the moment” and “first time voting.”

Throughout the two-hour event, speakers and performers urged Georgia residents to go to the polls before the end of early voting on Nov. 1 and bring friends and family members.

“It’s not that we have to vote, it’s that we get to vote,” said Kalen Allen, one of the event’s presenters. “Because Georgia, your vote is your superpower.”

Organizers also emphasized the nonpartisan nature of their organization, as well as the importance of ensuring that marginalized communities have access to their voting rights.

“When We All Vote is a nonpartisan organization on a mission to change the culture around voting,” When We All Vote Executive Director Beth Lynk said during her opening remarks. “This means you won’t hear anything about specific candidates or races tonight. Our purpose is bigger than that. We want to help people recognize their voting interests and empower them to exercise them, especially people who have been historically excluded.”

The rally also included speeches from celebrities like artists Ciara and Victoria Monét, “Black-ish” actress Marsai Martin and Destiny’s Child member Kelly Rowland. As We All Vote co-chairs Kerry Washington, Liza Koshy, Rita Wilson and Shonda Rhimes took the stage to introduce the final speaker, Michelle Obama, who spent her 30-minute speech encouraging voters – and young voters in in particular – to remain vigilant and exercise their right to vote.

“The power is in your hands, it really is, in ways you don’t even realize,” she told the crowd. “Not just in this election, but in every election after that.”

More: Michelle Obama’s nonprofit When We All Vote is providing voter registration – and WNBA fans

Although the event had a festive atmosphere, things turned serious when Obama talked about her experiences as First Lady watching decisions being made by those in power, urging voters to come to the polls even if they were afraid that their ballot would not produce a result. difference.

“What many non-voters don’t understand about real power is that our absence prevents those in charge from hearing us better,” she said. “Instead, our absence is taken as our consent. They see our indifference as part of their mandate to do what they want. That has always been the truth about how this country functions. The process continues, with or without you.”

She also urged voters to have honest conversations with their loved ones about voting, despite the awkwardness that might come with initiating them.

“No one wants to have awkward moments, no one wants to make things weird, I understand that,” Obama said. “But if you can’t use your voice at the tables where you already sit, how on earth do you expect to have a voice at the tables where you don’t?”

Although she never turned to overt campaigning or partisan messaging, Obama urged the public to pay attention to the controversy over Georgia’s State Election Board and stay involved even after the election ended.

More: Explore the lawsuits that could impact the outcome of the 2024 election in Georgia

“This work doesn’t stop,” she said. “The people who make it harder to vote certainly won’t stop. You’ve all seen and heard about the pranks some people are trying to pull in this state, the people trying to make it harder to get your vote counted, the people trying to allow a few unelected officials wipe out the votes of entire districts. and influence the entire election.”

“Thankfully, those rules have been overturned for this election,” she continued. “But who knows what’s going to happen for the next one, so we gotta stay vigilant, y’all. We must stay organized and engaged even after Election Day.”

Despite the precarious election situation, Obama ended her speech with a message of hope to voters across the state.

“We’ve always had the opportunity to make things better,” she says. “That has been our story since our founding, a story written so many times by the good people of Georgia.”

Maya Homan is USA TODAY’s 2024 elections fellow, focusing on Georgia politics. She is @MayaHoman on X, formerly Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: The When We All Vote rally aims to mobilize voters in Georgia to come out and vote