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Keeping Americans safe during a global pandemic is a non-partisan issue. Former First Lady Michelle Obama is hoping the Trump administration will heed her call to keep voters out of harm’s way as they prepare to take part in the upcoming election.
On Monday, Obama and the non-partisan group When We All Vote made a call for greater vote-by-mail options, early voting in person, and online registration. To get their point across, they released a video that included celebrities also supportive of the cause.
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“No American should have to choose between making their voice heard and staying safe,” the former first lady wrote on Twitter. “Expanding access to #VoteByMail, online voter registration and early voting are critical steps for this moment—they’re also long overdue.”
No American should have to choose between making their voice heard and staying safe. Expanding access to #VoteByMail, online voter registration and early voting are critical steps for this moment—they’re also long overdue. https://t.co/s0KZ2Pj6zw
— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) April 13, 2020
Her plea comes just a week after a controversial Wisconsin primary. To adhere to social distancing guidelines, Democrats attempted to postpone the Tuesday election, but were blocked by Republicans.
As a result, in Milwaukee where there are usually 180 polling places available, only five were available, ramping up allegations that the GOP was trying to stifle election turnout.
“Today, Wisconsin voters had to choose between making their voice heard and keeping themselves and their family safe,” Obama wrote on Twitter at the time. “No American should ever have to make that choice.”
“We must do better to ensure voting is safe for all voters,” she added.
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Obama and her counterparts are asking the government to funnel resources into early voting to help people avoid long lines. In addition to that, if mail-in ballots replaced in-person voting entirely, poll workers wouldn’t have to face the risk of interacting with the public.
The former first lady, a co-chair of the organization, said there are long overdue and “critical steps for this moment.”
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“Americans should never have to choose between making their voices heard and keeping themselves and their families safe,” she said in a statement. “There is nothing partisan about striving to live up to the promise of our country: making the democracy we all cherish more accessible, and protecting our neighbors, friends and loved ones as they participate in this cornerstone of American life.”