Obama: Register and then vote

VOTER REGISTRATION, EARLY VOTING, POLLING PLACES, AND VOTER ID

Former President Barack Obama has a message for Gen Z voters. In a new public service announcement he says “Do your research and cast your ballots in the 2022 midterm elections.”

Obama says in the announcement, created in partnership with ATTN, “For those of you who are just turning 18 and were only three or four when I was elected, my name is Barack Obama. I was the 44th president of the United States and I have the best jump shot in White House history.”

Obama goes on to talk about the concerns of Gen Z’s by saying voting isn’t the most effective way to solve issues. He acknowledges that it’s not a catch-all solution but is still a necessary step in holding politicians accountable and fighting for change.

“Two years ago, more young people voted than in any other election since the 1970s,” Obama says. “And because you did, the direction of the country changed.” The former president goes on to cite how hundreds of millions of Americans received COVID-19 vaccines, how the most expansive bill to combat climate change was passed into law, how billions of dollars in student debt have been pledged to be forgiven, and how the long-awaited report on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena was finally released.

“I think those are some pretty good reasons to vote, but I don’t need to tell you that there’s a lot more that needs to be done,” Obama says, naming five major issues that he wants to elected officials fighting harder for: abortion rights, gun safety, unbiased education, immigration rights and addressing climate change.

VOTER REGISTRATION, EARLY VOTING, POLLING PLACES, AND VOTER ID