Republicans seem increasingly desperate as the 2020 general election approaches, and their desperation has included apparent attempts at voter suppression. On the national level, President Donald Trump has insisted that voting is an “honor” — it’s actually a right — and ranted against plans to expand access to mail-in voting, and on the state level, Georgia authorities failed to adequately provide for communities during the primary elections that were held this past Tuesday. Issues like hours-long lines plagued the voting process. In a Thursday Twitter message, former First Lady Michelle Obama called out the problem and called on her followers to support efforts to confront voter suppression head-on.
Linking to a page where people can donate to her voting rights advocacy organization “When We All Vote,” the former First Lady shared:
‘We saw it again on Tuesday—too many communities are being targeted and silenced by voter suppression. I believe every voice must be heard in every election—and that’s what @WhenWeAllVote is fighting for. But we need your help’
We saw it again on Tuesday—too many communities are being targeted and silenced by voter suppression. I believe every voice must be heard in every election—and that’s what @WhenWeAllVote is fighting for. But we need your help: https://t.co/gsLgCm6ALk.
— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) June 11, 2020
Michelle Obama has led “When We All Vote” since before the 2018 midterm elections, and the organization has led programs like voter registration drives around the country in an attempt to increase voter participation. Trump, for his part, has frequently sounded absolutely terrified at the prospect of increased voter participation. He’s peddled ludicrous claims about supposed fraud in vote-by-mail systems, and he’s even threatened to withhold federal funding from states that expanded their mail-in voting options amid concern about the safety of in-person voting due to the Coronavirus. It’s unclear that the president has the authority to actually withhold that funding.
Trump has good reason to worry. In one recent poll released by CNN, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden led Trump on the national level by a staggering 14 percent, and double-digit leads for Biden have emerged in other polls as well. RealClearPolitics reports that Biden’s average lead over Trump is 8.1 percent on the national level as of Thursday afternoon.
Check out Twitter’s response to the former First Lady below:
