Michelle Obama and LeBron James Team Up To Jumpstart Early Voting

LOS ANGELES, CA — Michelle Obama and LeBron James are combining forces for the Nov. 3 election to get voters around the country to cast ballots early. A voting initiative led by Obama will partner with a similar group led by LeBron beginning next week.

Obama's When We All Vote and James' More Than A Vote will combine resources to bring information, transportation, food, music and personal protective equipment to early voting polls around the country Oct. 18-31, The Associated Press reported.

The two organizations will host a series of in-person events, with one of them taking place in Los Angeles on Oct. 24, according to the When We All Vote website. The event will take place within walking distance of early voting sites and will include free food from World Central Kitchen and DoorDash.

The live event will also include local DJs and appearances from celebrities and athletes. The location is yet to be announced.

Other live events are planned for Atlanta; Charlotte, North Carolina; Detroit; Milwaukee; Orlando, Florida; and Philadelphia.

Partners for the events include: BET, Comedy Central, Johnson & Johnson, MTV, National Urban League, Project Isaiah, Radio One, United Way Worldwide and ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge.

The California Secretary of State announced via Twitter Tuesday that Californians had already cast more than 1 million ballots. In 2016, a mere 72,000 vote-by-mail ballots had been cast by this time of year.

Hey California, guess what? 1,035,997 Vote-by-mail ballots have officially been cast! At this time in 2016, this number was around 72,000. Make sure you make a plan to #vote & #voteearly! Track your ballot here: https://t.co/MZGdMsKAmf #VoteSafeCA #VoteCalifornia pic.twitter.com/ha5lGc2UeH
— CA SOS Vote (@CASOSvote) October 13, 2020

James was recently praised by Gov. Gavin Newsom and Barack Obama, the 44th president of the U.S., for leading the Los Angeles Lakers into its first championship since 2010.

The NBA star has long been the NBA's leading voice on the importance of voting, especially within the Black community. James founded More Than A Vote this year, an organization dedicated to increasing voter turnout.

James' other team is led by numerous famed Black musicians and NBA players such as Draymond Green and Kyle Lowry. The group donated $100,000 to the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition to help pay the debts of former felons so they may regain the right to vote, according to USA Today.

The former First Lady is also spearheading a challenge to encourage more people to vote before Nov. 3. When We All Vote has also committed more than $1 million in grants and supplies to local partner organizations to host their own activities, The Associated Press reported.

When We All Vote will also host a virtual "couch party" on Oct. 23.

“Millions of Americans have already cast their ballot and with only 21 days until Election Day, making your plan to vote early is critical,” Obama told The Associated Press Tuesday. “It’s now up to us to do everything in our power to get our friends and family ready to vote early and safely together. We can’t leave anyone behind.”