Michelle Obama’s voter mobilization campaign is targeting drag queens and free sweepstakes in an effort to boost voter turnout in key battleground states.
The former first lady founded When We All Vote in 2018, and the organization plans to host 500 “Party at the Polls” events before Election Day. The events will take place in states including Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Arizona and Nevada.
One such event in Arizona, which took place on October 18, featured Drag Out the Vote, a group of drag performers advocating for LGBTQ+ voters. Famous drag queens such as Barbra Seville, crowned ‘Miss Gay Southern America’, and Afrika America led the show. An Oct. 29 show in Nevada will feature Plasma, a queen from RuPaul’s Drag Race.
WWAV also announced that registered voters and volunteers with the organization can enter a sweepstakes for a chance to see Cardi B perform at ONE MusicFest in Atlanta later this month. The prize includes two tickets to the festival and up to $1,200 in travel credit for the winner.
The initiative is likely to spark accusations of hypocrisy among Republicans, after Democrats condemned Elon Musk’s efforts to boost voter registration among cohorts of voters likely to support Donald Trump. The billionaire’s America PAC has been warned by the Justice Department about the scheme, which includes cash giveaways of $1 million per day.
Michelle Obama’s voter mobilization initiative, When We All Vote, embraces drag shows to boost voter turnout in key battleground states (Image: Plasma)
The former first lady’s initiative, WWAV, plans to host 500 ‘Party at the Polls’ events in states including Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Arizona and Nevada in the run-up to Election Day (Photo: Africa America)
Well-known drag queens such as Barbra Seville (pictured) and Afrika America led a Drag Out the Vote and will be there to advocate for LGBTQ+ voters
Speaking to DailyMail.com, Africa America said: ‘We are in the fight of our lives, we are seeing attacks on bodily autonomy, attacks on LGBTQIA people, and we want to make sure that we vote for our interests, so sashay the polls!’
Barbara Seville added: “Drag has been vilified by politicians in recent years, so I thought why not turn it around and use the very thing they’re criticizing to help defeat them? It’s a fun and tongue-in-cheek way to push back.”
WWAV, which states it is a nonpartisan initiative, said their goal was to make early voting a festive occasion that “brings communities together to cast their votes early.”
The former first lady shared with her 22 million social media followers that she would be at another WWAV meeting in Georgia on October 29.
“With early voting already underway, it is critical that people make a plan to vote before Election Day,” she wrote in her post.
Plasma announced that she will be performing in a show called The Democracy Ball in October, along with comedian Ilana Glazer and DJ Luis Fernando. Malcolm Kenyatta, a Pennsylvania state representative running for auditor general, will also attend.
“Elections don’t start on Election Day – they end on Election Day,” WWAV Director Beth Lynk said in a news release.
‘Madam. Obama, our co-presidents and ambassadors, and voters will all come together to celebrate Georgia.”
DailyMail.com contacted WWAV for comment.