PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 25: First lady Michelle Obama waves to the crowd before delivering remarks on the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center, July 25, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Philadelphia, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Democratic National Convention kicked off July 25. (Image: Getty)
Former First Lady Michelle Obama has vowed to register over a million new voters for the 2022 election cycle in a letter titled “Fight For Our Vote” published as an ad in Sunday’s edition of the New York Times.
Obama’s letter included a plan of action that specified training at least 100,000 volunteers and recruiting lawyers to help protect voters from what she sees as unjust voting laws. She also encouraged working to educate fellow Americans on how to make sure their vote is safe and how to call their Senators to support the Freedom to Vote and John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Acts.
Voting reform is currently stalled in the Senate due to filibuster rules. The Democrats have a 50-50 majority, with tie-breaker Vice President Kamala Harris, but with current rules, the Democrats need 60 votes to advance the proposal. With no Republican support, and a few centrist senators skeptical as well, getting past the 60 vote threshold isn’t likely. President Joe Biden supported filibuster reform during his speech in Atlanta yesterday.
“Debate them,” Biden said. “Vote. Let the majority prevail. And if that bare minimum is blocked, we have no option but to change the Senate rules, including getting rid of the filibuster.”
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He noted that filibuster rule changes would only take place to ensure everyone has an equal voting experience. Biden’s administration views some laws in Republican-led states as suppressing the right to vote.
Obama said difficultly to vote in some states were similar to historical “poll taxes, literacy tests, and laws designed to strip away [Americans’] power,” saying that “we must give Congress no choice but to act decisively to protect the right to vote and make the ballot box more accessible for everyone.”
Around 30 high-profile groups such as the NAACP, Vote.org and Stacey Abrams‘ Fair Fight Action joined Obama in signing the letter.
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