Michelle Obama Shares the Personal Reason Why She Always Votes

It’s been less than two years since the Obamas exited the White House, but Michelle Obama is still here to make sure you fulfill your civic responsibility by registering to vote. In a new video from When We All Vote, the nonpartisan, non-profit initiative she co-chairs, the former First Lady talks about why voting is so important to her, and what it was like to go to the polling place as a little girl:

She explains that her father, who had multiple sclerosis, would never miss an opportunity to go to the polling place, and seeing him put in the physical effort to vote showed her just how significant it was. “I would watch my dad vote and think, ‘Wow, what a special responsibility that must be.’” She goes on to talk about the importance of voting in every election, not just presidential elections, because it’s “the only way you can have your voice heard.”

When We All Vote’s other co-chairs Tom Hanks, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Faith Hill, and Tim McGraw also created videos, discussing why voting is meaningful to them:

“We should never forget that freedom that we have,” Hill said. “It’s easy to forget, sometimes, that independence starts from door to door, locally.”

The co-chairs also urged all eligible voters to get registered in time for the November midterm elections and participate in When We All Vote’s Week of Action, which encourages people to host events in their communities to help get everyone registered to vote. The Week of Action runs from Sept. 22nd to Sept. 29th, and you can find out more in Obama’s video, below: