Michelle Obama And LeBron James Partner To Encourage Early Voting

Source: The White House / Getty

Our Forever FLOTUS Michelle Obama and NBA star LeBron James are teaming up to engage potential voters across several major U.S. cities leading up to Election Day on November 3.

Obama’s When We All Vote and James’ More Than A Vote will provide different incentives including voter education materials, entertainment, transportation, food, music and personal protective equipment at selected early voting sites from October 18-31.

“Millions of Americans have already cast their ballot and with only 21 days until Election Day, making your plan to vote early is critical,” Mrs. Obama said Tuesday in a statement to The Associated Press. “It’s now up to us to do everything in our power to get our friends and family ready to vote early and safely together. We can’t leave anyone behind.

Events will take place in Atlanta, Charlotte, North Carolina, Detroit, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Orlando, Florida; and Philadelphia, which will be held within walking distance of early voting sites and will include free food from the nonprofit World Central Kitchen, founded by celebrity chef Jose Andres, and other food providers.

Representatives from the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law and the Election Protection coalition will be on site to answer questions and provide support as continued instances of voter suppression pop up, primarily in Black neighborhoods.

Corporate partners like Lyft will provide discounted rides to the polls. Other media partners include BET, Comedy Central, Johnson & Johnson, MTV, the National Urban League, Radio One and United Way Worldwide.

The two also have the backing of their celebrity friends including, Obama’s When We All Vote co-founders, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tom Hanks and Janelle Monae.

James, who is fresh off of securing his fourth NBA championship, created his voting rights group at the beginning of the summer in June. The move signaled a great collective shift among the Black community as state-sanctioned violence repeatedly surfaced in the deaths of our Black community members.