Michelle Obama’s When We All Vote Reaches More Than One Million Eligible Voters Ahead of Historic Midterm Elections

(Washington, DC): As voters head to the polls today, Michelle Obama’s nonpartisan voting initiative, When We All Vote, continues the final push to increase voter turnout and registration in the midterm elections. When We All Vote is partnering with both Lyft and Lime to provide discounted or free transportation to the polls; hosting parties at the polls with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) across the country; and mobilizing volunteers, sports teams and leagues, talent, schools and partners to ensure every eligible voter can cast their ballot. 

More than 40 million early votes have been cast this year, surpassing the early voting turnout rate in the 2018 midterm elections. And this year alone nearly 90,000 people have registered to vote or checked their voter registration status with When We All Vote. This year, When We All Vote:

• Volunteers reached more than one million voters via text 
• Recruited more than 3,000 people to serve as poll workers
• Hosted more than 200 parties at/or near polling locations as a part of the organization’s Party at the Polls program
• Recruited and partnered with more than 200 high schools to launch My School Votes clubs and secured three district-wide partnerships 
• Partnered with nearly 100 media, corporate and nonprofit organizations, and an additional 14 professional sports teams and leagues joined When We All Vote as part of the Rally the Vote coalition
• Hosted over 20 virtual rallies and trainings that reached nearly 10,000 volunteers 

“Our message on Election Day at When We All Vote is simple — VOTE. It’s going to take all of us to protect and expand our democracy, and that fight continues today at the ballot box. Despite the attempts to silence our voices through voter suppression, we broke records for midterm turnout in early voting, and I believe we will break even more records today. And it will be because of the incredible work of volunteers, partners and advocates who believe in what’s possible when we all vote,” said Stephanie L. Young, Executive Director of When We All Vote.  

When We All Vote kicked off the year with the Fight For Our Vote Pledge, an ad in the New York Times with 30 partners, Founder and Co-Chair Michelle Obama was featured on black-ish and the announcement of new Co-Chairs, H.E.R, Becky G, Stephen Curry, Jennifer Lopez and Bretman Rock, to begin the drive for voter registration, education and turnout. 

This summer, When We All Vote created and held the first-ever Culture of Democracy Summit featuring Michelle Obama in Los Angeles. More than 1,300 leaders from a cross-section of industries including, entertainment, music, sports and academics, as well as grassroots organizers and leaders in technology, civics and corporations, joined When We All Vote for the four-day convening to discuss their collective and individual roles in expanding and protecting democracy.

The organization also tapped into popular culture through partnerships with BET, Live Nation Urban and The Latin Grammys to encourage Americans to register their communities to vote. With a focus on empowering youth voters, When We All Vote launched the VOTE LOUD HBCU Squad Challenge, providing grants to HBCU students for voter education, registration and mobilization. The organization also partnered with Climate Power to launch Vote Future, a nonpartisan campaign educating youth voters on the impact of recent climate legislation and how to make their voices heard. When We All Vote also teamed up with 14 professional sports teams to promote civic engagement with the relaunch of the Rally the Vote coalition. And through When We All Vote’s Party at the Polls program, the organization made voting a celebration with more than 200 community events across the country.