Stacey Abrams and Michelle Obama Partner to Fight for Voter Rights

By Shani Saxon Aug 06, 2021

Stacey Abrams and Michelle Obama have joined forces in a renewed push for federal voting rights legislation, MSN reports. 

As many Republican-led states continue to pass voter suppression laws  that disproportionately impact low-income communities of color, the former Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Georgia and the former first lady released a video on Thursday (August 5) asking Americans to come together to "protect our freedom to vote.”

Obama noted in the public service announcement that "dangerous legislation" is being proposed throughout the country that would limit voting rights. Abrams added that a majority of these bills would "disproportionately impact Black, Brown, young and working-class voters and voters with disabilities."

So far at least 18 states have enacted 30 laws that restrict access to voting, according to the Brennan Center for Justice as reported by MSN. 

Abrams and Obama stressed that this isn’t a partisan issue, stating the fight "isn’t about who’s president or who’s in Congress," but "about our families, our neighborhoods, our schools and our communities."

Both women called on the public to reach out to their members of Congress and demand that they "protect and strengthen our access to the ballot." 

As Colorlines previously reported, Senate Democrats are under pressure to “unite over a strategy to overcome Senate opposition to the For the People Act, or Senate Bill 1.” The bill has been called “the most sweeping election overhaul in generations,” according to The New York Times.

Colorlines wrote:


The landmark bill, which passed in the House on March 3, would “curb voter suppression and make it easier for all Americans to register to vote and cast a ballot,” according to The Brennan Center. It would also “outlaw partisan gerrymandering of congressional districts” and “overhaul our campaign finance laws to amplify the voices of ordinary Americans.”]


"We’re working to change the future of this nation,” Obama said in the video. “It’s not going to be easy, but nothing this important ever is.”