‘Obviously, we shouldn’t be telling them how to vote or who to vote for…’
(Ben Sellers, Liberty Headlines) Former First Lady Michelle Obama is seeking to educate school children—on how to properly vote for Democrats.
Obama recently announced that she planned to conduct a series of seminars on how to vote as part of an initiative called When We All Vote and its school-centric offshoot, My School Votes.
“Obviously, we shouldn’t be telling [students] how to vote or who to vote for,” Obama said in her message to educators. “We just want them to vote, period—to take that first step toward making voting a lifelong habit.”
In order to receive tax-free status, the operation claims to be a nonpartisan entity, but its objectives closely mirror those of activist, left-wing organizations designed to increase Democratic votes specifically.
My School Votes is “on a mission to increase participation in every election and close the race and age voting gap by changing the culture around voting, harnessing grassroots energy, and through strategic partnerships to reach every American,” according to its mission statement.
Since launching in July, the school-based initiative has signed up more than 2,000 students and teachers, Education Week reported.
Targeting Red States
Michelle’s husband, former President Barack Obama, is likewise planning a series of activist training seminars as part of an ongoing effort through the National Democratic Redistricting Committee to flip red states before the next round of district maps are drawn in 2021.
If anyone tells you that @EricHolder is “fighting against gerrymandering” and for “fair maps,” just look at the form his organization filed with the IRS. The truth: their mission is to “FAVORABLY POSITION DEMOCRATS FOR THE REDISTRICTING PROCESS.” pic.twitter.com/1f6J2SnIlX
— Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) August 22, 2019
In both cases, the Obamas’ seminars are conveniently targeting battleground “purple” states that backed President Donald Trump in the 2016 election, as well as traditionally Republican states where population shifts have hinted at a possible electoral swing.
According to Education Week, Michelle plans to visit Michigan, Pennsylvania, Florida and Nevada during the month of November. Future workshops are scheduled in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Georgia, and several in North Carolina.
Most overlap with targets that the NDRC has identified as being vulnerable to its redistricting initiatives in the lead-up to next year’s presidential election.
Considerable speculation has centered around Michelle Obama entering the 2020 race, although she has emphatically dismissed the possibility.
Indoctrination and Dog Whistles
A “training video” on the My School Votes site, replete with left-wing dog-whistles, features students of color (and one token-white teacher) offering messages like “It’s up to us to help them harness this power” while encouraging voter registrants to “build a team around them that looks like the school’s student body.”
At a rally last year for When We All Vote, Obama seemed to be more explicit in her “us versus them” messaging.
“They’re finding all kinds of ways to keep you at home, hoping that when you hear about all those things, you’ll just give up,” she said, without clarifying who they were. “Don’t let anybody intimidate you from being a part of this process,” she said.
Included in the organization’s curriculum materials for students is a data-collection link so that My School Votes can track the success of participating schools.
The classroom resources encourage students to do targeted registration drives based on demographic information rather than “ineffective” mass-registration booths set up at events like football games.
However, teachers are asked to help with the “amplification” efforts before major vote drives by incorporating the materials into their lesson plans.
Lessons are conveniently provided at a separate website, ShareMyLesson.com, and emphasize important educational topics like social justice issues, the #MeToo movement, gun control and LGBT history.
Obama’s civic ‘education’ program also encourages involvement from those who are ineligible to vote.
“While undocumented students should not participate in actual voter registration, there are many ways to include ineligible students in the voter registration process even if they cannot register themselves,” says the voter registration action plan.
“Some examples include, helping with being part of the My School Votes team or amplifying Voter Registration Action Days,” the plan says. “It should be a focus to make voter registration and civic engagement an inclusive activity welcome to all members of the school community.”