As Florida voters face an Oct. 9 deadline to register to vote for the November election, former first lady Michelle Obama will arrive in Miami on Friday to encourage Floridians to take that step and head to the voting booth.
Obama’s appearance at the University of Miami’s Watsco Center is part of a national tour by the organization When We All Vote, which she co-chairs. Other co-chairs include actor Tom Hanks, “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, NBA player Chris Paul and the singers Janelle Monáe, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.
Hill, a country music artist whose late-90s string of hits included “This Kiss” and “Breathe,” will also attend the rally, as will fellow recording artists Erica Campbell, Kelly Rowland and Fat Joe. CNN commentator Angela Rye and actor Keegan-Michael Key are also scheduled to appear.
The appearance will cap off what the organization has billed as a “week of action.” From Sept. 22 to Sept. 29, it has held voter registration drives across the country.
The appearance is the second Obama will make on behalf of the organization. She held a rally Sunday in Nevada, where she told about 2,000 voters, “We get the leaders we vote for. We get the policies we vote for. And when we don’t vote, that’s when we wind up with government of, by and for other people.”
Although her husband, former President Barack Obama, has made campaign stops pushing for Democratic turnout, Michelle Obama has attempted — somewhat unsuccessfully — to make her appearances nonpartisan. Rallygoers in Nevada cheered her husband when his name was mentioned, and she jokingly told the audience “Stop this” when one yelled she should run for president.
Still, the rallies are taking place in Nevada and Florida — two states that are tossup territory but that tend to see diminished Democratic participation in midterm elections.
Voters this November will decide a number of consequential races, including governor, U.S. senator and a dozen constitutional amendments that could see most ex-felons given the right to vote and greyhound racing banned in the state, among other things. The election takes place Nov. 6.
People interested in attending the rally can go to the When We All Vote website. After registering there, rallygoers must obtain paper tickets. The Broward County location to do so is at Emgage Florida, 8360 Oakland Park Blvd., in Sunrise.
There are no ticket locations in Palm Beach County, but three in Miami-Dade:
— New Florida Majority Education Fund, 10800 Biscayne Blvd., Suite 1050, in Miami
— Florida Immigration Coalition, 2800 Biscayne Blvd., Suite 200, in Miami
— Engage Miami, 8325 NE 2nd Avenue, Suite 118, in Miami
To register to vote, go to Florida’s online registration website.
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