‘When We All Vote’ Rally: Celebrating First-Time Voters With Michelle Obama And Celebrities

In case you missed it, on Tuesday, October 29, When We All Vote hosted the When We All Vote Rally at Gateway Center Arena in Georgia. Buses of college students and first-time voters arrived to celebrate making their voices heard and bringing their energy to the ballot box. From When We All Vote Founder and Co-Chair Michelle Obama’s headline remarks and performances from Ari Lennox, D-Nice, Benny Blanco and Clark Atlanta University’s drumline to highlighting first-time voters and Georgia advocates and organizers, the rally built momentum and excitement ahead of the last day of early voting and Election Day.

Co-Hosts Kalen Allen and Lynae Vanee energized the audience as When We All Vote’s celebrity Co-Chairs and Ambassadors shared the importance of voting early, making a plan to vote and what is at stake in this year’s elections. Victoria Monét recalled her her first time voting, Marsai Martin made sure her #VotingSquad is ready to vote, Kerry Washington celebrated the Georgia organizations leading this work year-round and Kelly Rowland helped voters make a plan to vote this year. 

In her headline remarks, Mrs. Obama reminded voters of their power: “Our vote is our voice. It is our power. It is the key to our ability to express ourselves and build the community and the country we want to live in.” She also emphasized that voting is about “protecting the people that we love,” encouraging voters to make sure their families, friends and communities vote early. 

Georgia voters are showing up in record numbers to vote early this year, with 313,406 Georgia voters having cast their ballots on the first day of in-person early voting, as compared to 136,000 in 2020. Three days before early voting ends in Georgia on November 1, voters — especially first-time voters — filled up Gateway Center Arena with this energy, uplifting the issues motivating them to vote this year and building their own #VotingSquads. First-time voter Desana Clark shared the “joy and liberation” she felt while casting her ballot with her family last week.

The rally was completely nonpartisan and not affiliated with any campaign or political party, with When All Vote Executive Director Beth Lynk highlighting that “When We All Vote is a nonpartisan organization on a mission to change the culture around voting. This means you won’t hear anything tonight about specific candidates or races. Our goal is bigger than that. We want to help people recognize their vote matters and empower them to use it, particularly folks who’ve been historically left out.” 

Rally speakers included:

• Michelle Obama, Founder and Co-Chair, When We All Vote
• Kalen Allen, Ambassador, When We All Vote; Rally Co-Host 
• Cliff Albright, Co-Founder, Black Voters Matter
• Tamieka Atkins, Executive Director, ProGeorgia 
• LaTosha Brown, Co-Founder, Black Voters Matter 
• Ciara, Ambassador, When We All Vote
• Amanda Hollowell, Managing Director of National Organizing, When We All Vote
• Liza Koshy, Co-Chair, When We All Vote
• Beth Lynk, Executive Director, When We All Vote
• Marsai Martin, Ambassador, When We All Vote
• Victoria Monét, Ambassador, When We All Vote 
• Shonda Rhimes, Co-Chair, When We All Vote
• Kelly Rowland, Ambassador, When We All Vote
• Lynae Vanee, Ambassador, When We All Vote; Rally Co-Host 
• Kerry Washington, Co-Chair, When We All Vote
• Rita Wilson, Co-Chair, When We All Vote

ABOUT When We All Vote: When We All Vote is a leading national, nonpartisan initiative on a mission to change the culture around voting and to increase participation in each and every election by helping to close the race and age gap. Created by Michelle Obama, When We All Vote brings together individuals, institutions, brands, and organizations to register new voters across the country and advance civic education for the entire family and voters of every age to build an informed and engaged electorate for today and generations to come. We empower our supporters and volunteers to take action through voting, advocating for their rights, and holding their elected officials accountable.

In 2020, When We All Vote ran a robust, multifaceted campaign and reached more than 100 million people to educate them about the voting process and get them registered and ready to vote. The initiative also led in voter education, registration, and volunteer engagement and as a result, 512,000 people started or completed the voter registration process, and nearly 500 media, corporate, and nonprofit partners joined its efforts.

Michelle Obama launched When We All Vote in 2018 and is joined by fellow Co-Chairs Stephen Curry, Becky G, Selena Gomez, Tom Hanks, H.E.R., Liza Koshy, Jennifer Lopez, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Janelle Monáe, Chris Paul, Megan Rapinoe, Shonda Rhimes, Bretman Rock, Kerry Washington, and Rita Wilson. When We All Vote is an initiative of Civic Nation, a 501(c)(3) organization, and works with Civic Nation Action, a 501(c)(4). Learn more here.

ABOUT Civic Nation: Civic Nation is a nonprofit ecosystem for high-impact organizing and education initiatives working to build a more inclusive and equitable America. Civic Nation shifts culture, systems, and policy by bringing together individuals, grassroots organizers, industry leaders, and influencers to tackle some of our nation’s most pressing social challenges. Civic Nation is home to seven national initiatives and campaigns: ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, Change Collective, It’s On Us, Save On Clean Energy, SAVE On Student Debt, We The Action, and When We All Vote. Learn more here.