'Let's Organize And Let's Energize And Let's Mobilize': Kamala Harris Urges Voter Engagement

3 months ago

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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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.

'Let's Organize And Let's Energize And Let's Mobilize': Kamala Harris Urges Voter Engagement

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