Michelle Obama Michelle LeVaughn Robinson ObamaPelosi: George Floyd daughter's prediction that he would 'change the world' is coming true Jill Biden recognizes Fauci as an 'American hero' Michelle Obama shows support for foundation created to honor Kobe, Gigi Bryant's memory MORE is reportedly launching a new voter registration initiative ahead of this year’s midterm elections. According to Politico, the former first lady’s initiative is scheduled to be launched on Thursday and will also involve several other high-profile names, including actor Tom Hanks, singer Janelle Monae, “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and singers Faith Hill and Tim McGraw. ADVERTISEMENT The initiative will also reportedly be strictly nonpartisan, to the frustration of some Democrats. The group, which will be incorporated as a non-profit and be separate from the Obama Foundation, is planning to release its first public service announcement on Thursday. The effort will also feature prominent Obama-era officials, including Valerie Jarrett, who will serve as the group’s president, and former first lady chief of staff Tina Tchen, who will serve as the treasurer, according to Politico. ADVERTISEMENT The first lady and several other prominent figures involved with the group will also reportedly appear in PSAs as part of the initiative and at live events throughout the United States in the coming months. The initiative, named “When We All Vote,” is still raising money for what sources familiar with the effort say will be an $8 million budget, Politico reported. “Mrs. Obama is really excited about this voter registration effort, and her fall schedule is still coming together,” a person close to the first lady told the publication.<doc-sep>Michelle Obama is jumping into the 2018 campaigns with a voter registration initiative that will be strictly nonpartisan — exciting and frustrating top Democrats who’d like the popular former first lady to actively campaign for candidates. The initiative, scheduled to be launched Thursday, is the result of months of quiet conversations and planning full of false starts and uncertainty about whether to go forward. It will have the former first lady appear in public service announcements and at live events throughout the country into the fall, according to multiple people informed of the plans. She’ll be joined by several A-list celebrities, including actor Tom Hanks, country stars Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, Houston Rockets star Chris Paul, singer Janelle Monae and “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda. The first PSA will go out Thursday, with more in the process of being lined up, featuring other prominent activists and players. The group will be incorporated as a nonprofit, separate from the Obama Foundation, the personal offices of Barack and Michelle Obama, and Citizen 44, the LLC that the former president himself pays for to handle his own political involvement. Named “When We All Vote,” it will be stocked with prominent Obama alumni, including Valerie Jarrett as president of the board and former first lady chief of staff Tina Tchen as treasurer. Pete Rouse, an Obama senior adviser who served as interim White House chief of staff, will also be on the board. The CEO will be Kyle Lierman, a former senior policy adviser in the White House who founded Civic Advisors, a “social impact strategy” and consulting firm home to a number of Obama White House alumni. POLITICO Playbook newsletter Sign up today to receive the #1-rated newsletter in politics Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or updates from POLITICO and you agree to our privacy policy and terms of service. You can unsubscribe at any time and you can contact us here. This sign-up form is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Money is still being raised for what people involved with the planning have told others would be an $8 million budget. Organizers plan to raise much of it through corporate sponsorships and foundation grants — all while navigating around nonprofit laws and Democratic donors who already are being hit up nonstop by candidates, committees and other groups seeking cash. The new group is planning a series of events building up to a late-September crescendo of rallies and trainings. Along the way, there will be several voter registration days of action, followed by “GOTV days of action” as the elections approaches. Organizers intend to send personal messages to people urging them to register. According to one document describing the group’s plans, it will partner with “outlets that young Americans use most.” Representatives of When We All Vote confirmed the celebrities involved in the initiative but otherwise declined to comment. For years, Michelle Obama has been the most sought-after surrogate for Democratic candidates. She has consistently disappointed them and their operatives, however, by agreeing to only a handful of appearances each cycle. With Democrats on high alert going into the midterms — desperate to push Republicans from power, but deeply anxious that they will come up short — questions are circulating among party activists and operatives about Michelle Obama’s decision to take herself off the campaign trail directly as a player. Consigning one of the most persuasive Democrats to nonpartisan endeavors has them wondering whether this initiative is out of step with the moment. At a Beverly Hills fundraiser last month for the Democratic National Committee, the former president himself joked that these days his wife is in even higher demand these days than he is. “You can’t afford Michelle,” he told the high-dollar crowd. Michelle Obama’s staff has gone back and forth on the question about whether she’ll try to weave in a few campaign appearances on behalf of candidates. “Mrs. Obama is really excited about this voter registration effort, and her fall schedule is still coming together,” said one person close to her. Since the 2016 election, Michelle Obama has been even scarcer in public than during her time in the White House. When she has popped up, it’s been with words clearly directed toward President Donald Trump. In an appearance on “Ellen” in January, she said Americans must stay open-hearted and “forget what they're saying in Washington.” The following month, she told a group of educators in Washington that they are “what makes America great.” And in June, she spoke out against Trump’s family separation policy, but only by tweeting her agreement with an op-ed penned by fellow former first lady Laura Bush. Meanwhile, like former President Barack Obama, she also has been doing a number of paid speeches. Trump’s election has been a challenge for Michelle Obama not just because of policies that so contradict — and in many cases, reverse — her husband’s. His very victory, along with those of many other Republicans who supported him, is a direct challenge to her “when they go low, we go high” 2016 convention message, which had become a rallying cry for Democrats sure that Hillary Clinton would easily dispense with Trump. To the former first lady, though, the voter registration drive is the best way to take on a prominent role without engaging directly in electoral politics, which she has little affinity for. And it fits with a larger theory about political engagement that she shares with her husband: The more people who vote, they believe, the better it will be for Democrats overall. Obama will hit the campaign trail for candidates, but he also has been stressing nonpartisan engagement through his foundation. Then there’s another motive at play: her 400-page memoir, “Becoming,” is due out Nov. 13, a week after Election Day. She’ll be doing a nationwide book tour, and the first lady and her staff don’t want that to be overshadowed by politics.<doc-sep>Michelle Obama, Lin-Manuel Miranda and other big names have launched a new voter registration campaign called When We All Vote Lin-Manuel Miranda is not throwing away his opportunity to vote this November — and he doesn’t want you to either. Miranda has joined forces with former First Lady Michelle Obama and some other famous friends to launch a new voter registration nonprofit called When We All Vote. Get push notifications with news, features and more. In addition to the Hamilton creator and the first lady, the co-chairs of the national nonpartisan organization include actor Tom Hanks, country music stars (and spouses) Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, basketball player Chris Paul and singer-songwriter Janelle Monáe. Through extensive social media and digital outreach, the national organization aims to increase the number of eligible citizens who register to vote and who actually show up to the polls on election day. The launch video shows Obama and Miranda personally making voter registration calls, reminding the other co-chairs to vote in every election — “school board, state house, all of them,” Obama instructs. “Voting is the only way to ensure that our values and priorities are represented in the halls of power,” Obama says in a statement in When We All Vote’s press release. “And it’s not enough to just vote for president every four years. We all have to vote in every single election: for mayor, governor, school board, state legislature and Congress. The leaders we elect to these offices help determine just about every aspect of our lives and our democracy. So the future of our families, our communities and our country belongs to those of us who show up, cast our votes, and make our voices heard.” 775064188BB00038_The_Streic Michelle Obama | Credit: Michael Kovac/Getty When We All Vote aims to increase voter registration rates in all 50 states — hoping to make waves in a political landscape where registration rates are low. In 2014, more than 1/5th of eligible American citizens were not registered to vote, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts research cited in the press release. And in 2014, just over a third of eligible citizens voted, which was the lowest participation rate in midterms since World War II, according to PBS. When We All Vote is embracing a three-pronged strategy to achieve its registration and participation oriented goals: volunteer recruitment; improved voter registration processes; and increased conversation across the United States. This approach will involve recruiting on-the-ground people and organizations in all 50 states, and extensive social media and digital outreach. When We All Vote is also partnering with corporate, education and civic institutions to reach voters nationwide, according to the press release. “Voting is a small act that proves that we are a democracy — a government of the people and by the people. It’s up to each and every one of us to make sure our government doesn’t just represent a small some — not just the most powerful—but all of us. When we all vote, we are making strides toward a more perfect union,” Hanks says in a statement.<doc-sep>
She's back. Former first lady Michelle Obama is teaming up with a host of celebrities to launch a new voter registration initiative ahead of the midterm elections. The new nonprofit, "When We All Vote," was announced Thursday morning and will hold events, rallies and training sessions for volunteers ahead of the November election to get more voters registered. The organization won't focus solely on ramping up Democratic support, but rather will act as a nonpartisan organization to register those of all parties and beliefs. "Voting is the only way to ensure that our values and priorities are represented in the halls of power," Michelle Obama said in a statement "And it's not enough to just vote for president every four years. We all have to vote in every single election: for mayor, governor, school board, state legislature and Congress. The leaders we elect to these offices help determine just about every aspect of our lives and our democracy." Politico first reported on the new organization. Obama will be joined by celebrities, including "Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, actor Tom Hanks, Houston Rockets player Chris Paul and singers Faith Hill, Tim McGraw and Janelle Monae, Politico reported. The organization, in a news release, notes that voter registration rates and votes cast in midterm elections are astonishingly low. "These numbers and the reasons behind them should alarm every American," the organization says. "No one organization can dramatically change those numbers alone. But every citizen can be part of the solution—and that's why When We All Vote is calling on Americans to take responsibility and start a conversation by asking friends, family, and those in their own communities to register." More:Chrissy Teigen, Ellen DeGeneres and other celebrities got political this July 4th More:Surge of Obama alumni running for office in wake of President Trump's election Both of the Obamas have, for the most part, stayed out of the limelight since the start of the Trump presidency. It's unclear whether the former first lady will campaign for any candidates in the midterms. Democrats hope November will mark a comeback for the party and allow them to take back a majority in one or both chambers of Congress, fueled by a large number of Republicans retiring and low approval ratings for President Donald Trump. Politico noted Michelle Obama is one of the most sought-after surrogates for Democrats but she is still figuring out whether she will make any campaign appearances. Former President Barack Obama, however, is planning to hit the road with several candidates.