Michelle Obama Encourages Voter Registration at Florida Event

Michelle Obama speaks to the crowd during When We All Vote’s National Week of Action rally at the Watsco Center at the University of Miami on Friday (September 28) in Coral Gables, Fla.

The Former First Lady is the founder and co-chairwoman of the organization, which helped people register and to vote.

“I am here because it feels like we are locked in a dangerous cycle when it comes to voting in this country — a cycle that goes something like this: We tune out of politics frustrated that it doesn’t reflect our values,” Obama said at the event (via ABC News).

“Then election season comes along and millions of dollars are spent bombarding us with political ads, telling us why this particular race is so important and how this particular candidate has all the answers we’ve been looking for,” she added. “Then a bunch of athletes and celebrities and famous people, like me, travel all across the country telling people how crucial it is to get registered and to vote. ”

“And after all that, all that effort, money, time and energy, for a whole host of reasons, some say they’re too busy, some too cynical, some too disconnected, whatever the reason, only a fraction of the population actually bothers to vote,” she continued. “Then time passes. And sooner or later we’re right back where we started, with folks tuned out, frustrated that our politics don’t reflect our values, and we repeat that cycle again and again and again. So is there any wonder why we’re so frustrated and tuned out of our politics? When a huge chunk of the populations sits out of the process why are we surprised when our politics don’t reflect our values?”