Michelle Obama Urges Black Voters to Verify Registration Amid Suppression Efforts

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Former First Lady Michelle Obama in a video message on Friday called on Black voters to verify their registration status to ensure their ballots are actually counted during November's midterm elections.

More than 15 states either passed or enacted restrictive voting rights laws following President Joe Biden’s 2020 White House win, according to The Hill. And TargetSmart’s data analysis found that from November 2020 until July 2021, more than 8.6 million voters were purged from official registration lists nationwide.

"It’s great news that more Black Americans were eligible to vote in the last presidential election than ever before. But, at the same time, eligibility doesn’t mean those ballots will actually be cast, especially when in some places it’s getting harder and harder to vote," Obama said. "I want you to head over to WhenWeAllVote.org to check your voter registration status, and ask three friends to do the same."

Today is National Black Voter Day, and it’s critical that you continue to get involved and make your voices heard in every election. With the midterms this fall, be sure to check your registration status and ask three friends to do the same at https://t.co/PA4LvmFR0D. pic.twitter.com/Ie9KH3YizP

— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) September 16, 2022

The video was released on National Black Voter Day, an observance started in 2020 by Black Entertainment Television and the National Urban League.

US voters go to the polls on November 8 to cast ballots in the midterm elections, with the Democratic Party's narrow control of Congress hanging in the balance. 34 of the 100 seats in the US Senate - and all 435 House seats - are up for election this year, in addition to statewide and local positions.