WASHINGTON — Former first lady Michelle Obama will headline a rally in Atlanta a week before the Nov. 5 election, along with celebrities and civic leaders, with a focus on engaging younger and new voters, as well as voters of color.
The Oct. 29 event will be organized by When We All Vote, a nonpartisan civic engagement group that Obama founded in 2018 to “change the culture around voting” and reach people less likely to be involved in politics and elections.
The meeting is likely to help the vice president’s campaign Kamala Harristhe Democratic presidential candidate, in a heavily contested state. Obama is one of the party’s best-known figures and gave a speech at the national convention in August highlighting Harris’ candidacy.
It is unclear which celebrities will attend the meeting, but organizers noted that the group’s co-chairs also include professional basketball players. Stefan Curry and ChrisPaul; musical artists Becky G, HER, Selena Gomez, Jennifer Lopez and Janelle Monáe; beauty influencer Bretman Rock; and actors Tom Hanks, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Kerry Washington.
The group has organized more than 500 “Party at the Ballots” events across the country aimed at increasing voter registration and turnout. Events over the past year have ranged from pop-up block parties in Las Vegas, Phoenix and Philadelphia to voter registration partnerships with professional sports leagues and music festivals.
“The goal is to bring the energy and momentum of the rally to the polls,” said Beth Lynk, executive director of When We All Vote. “We want to bring the culture, the energy and the momentum together in one big space.”
Lynk said the group chose Atlanta because of the state’s diversity and the impact just a handful of Georgia voters can make. About a third of Georgia’s electorate is black, in addition to the fast-growing Asian American and Latino communities. When We All Vote is focused on engaging students on campuses in the metro Atlanta area, Lynk said.
“Something we’ve heard from young voters is that many people don’t believe their vote has power. But it is, very simple,” Lynk said. “We know that democracy must work for all of us and that is what we will emphasize at this meeting.”
The rally will take place just before early voting ends in Georgia on November 1, less than a week before Election Day.