During a campaign event in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Wednesday, Vice President Kamala Harris called on supporters to help boost voter turnout.
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NewsTranscript
00:00I've been sharing my personal story with the hope of encouraging women across the country
00:07to vote for candidates who support the right to choose because I firmly believe that politicians
00:12have no place in family planning, especially when it doesn't go as planned.
00:17Here in Michigan, we worked hard two years ago to pass Prop 3 to protect reproductive
00:23freedoms, reflecting the belief of 57% of Michiganders that every person has the fundamental
00:29right to reproductive freedom.
00:31However, with the upcoming presidential election, there's still so much at stake if Republicans
00:36gain control and are allowed to implement a nationwide abortion ban.
00:41With the election just four months away and the potential implications for reproductive
00:45rights, how are you planning to engage and mobilize voters and what strategies do you
00:50think will be most effective in reaching and inspiring people to take action?
00:57Thank you, Amanda, for that.
00:59One piece of this is to really remind people that they're not alone.
01:07I think there's something that has happened, I mentioned it earlier, that is making people
01:13feel like, you know, are people there for me?
01:20And we have to remind people we're all in this together.
01:22I think this is a moment that we have to be very intentional about building community,
01:28about reaching out to the folks we know, relatives, neighbors, coworkers, and reminding
01:34them that we're all in this together and that we can make sense of it if we try.
01:42And part of making sense of it is reminding everyone in an election year their power to
01:48determine very important issues through their vote.
01:54And so that means, you know, reminding people to register to vote, reminding people to go
02:00online.
02:01There's IWillVote.org and to make sure you know where you're registered because sadly
02:06in so many states in our country right now they're intentionally passing laws to make
02:10it more difficult for people to vote.
02:12They're passing laws that allow, you know, for political reasons that they'll reduce
02:16the number of polling sites so that people won't know where to go vote or because there
02:20are reduced polling sites the lines will be longer which will deter people from standing
02:25in line, especially if they're working two and three jobs, they don't have the time.
02:29So let's remind people about the connection between their lives and their vote, between
02:36their power and the outcome of this election.
02:40Let's organize people building coalitions.
02:43You know, again, there are forces trying to divide us.
02:47We got to remember in our hearts and help people remember the vast majority of us have
02:53so much more in common than what separates us.
02:56We got to remember that, right?
03:03I think that's critically important.
03:06You know, sometimes these kinds of moments have a tendency, if not an intention, to make
03:11people feel small and make them feel alone and disempower people.
03:16I was saying to, we had a brief conversation earlier, you know, I think there's this perversity
03:24that has taken place over the last several years to suggest the measure of the strength
03:28of a leader is based on who you beat down, when in fact the true measure of the strength
03:34of a leader, I think we all agree, is based on who you lift up, right?
03:45But the character and the strength, therefore, of a real leader, I'm looking at a room full
03:53of leaders, you wouldn't be here if you weren't, the character is such that that individual
04:00has some level of concern and care about the well-being of other people and then does something
04:05about it to lift them up.
04:08So let's remind people of all of that and let's organize and let's energize and let's
04:13mobilize, I mean literally call up and text and email folks you know and just bug them,
04:20just bug them.
04:21It's okay.
04:22It's election time.
04:23They'll expect it coming from you.
04:29They'll still invite you over for Thanksgiving and Christmas, it's okay.
04:35But let's just stay on people and in that way let them know that they matter and that
04:41we're all in it together.
04:43Well, speaking of elevating people as we come to the close of the program though, I think
04:50what you're doing is incredible.
04:51I think this is exactly the way forward.
04:54I think extending the grace that you have to have Amanda and I on stage as two Republicans
05:01or recovering Republicans, as I said earlier, I think this is an example of how we come
05:08together and how we built this coalition, like you said.
05:12I think it's about empowering each other and I also think it's a sign of that women are
05:17going to support women.
05:19That's right.
05:20We're going to stand by other women.
05:29So I hope that that's a message that carries forward and thank you for providing that avenue
05:35for us to come together.
05:37I do think that this is a big moment in time for our political system and what's at stake
05:42and so I think that I hope that this serves as an example for others to have these types
05:46of conversations with each other and to extend that grace and understand that we're going
05:51to stand by each other.
05:53They don't get to win when we're together.