Fresh off her historic Emmy win, Zendaya is now playing another important role: voter advocate.
For National Voter Registration Day, the star went live with former first lady Michelle Obama on Instagram to send an important message to fans. “Sometimes we procrastinate — and I wanted to talk about the importance of not waiting until the last minute,” Zendaya said. “Make sure you’re registered to vote.”
Obama is taking over social media today with celebrities and other power players on Instagram as part of When We All Vote’s “Registered and Ready” Instagram takeover.
“Making sure your generation is voting. I know a lot of people your age are frustrated and feel alienated about the system. What we have to remember is that these elections are decided by a handful of votes,” Obama told Zendaya and more than 50,000 people tuning in. The former first lady noted that in some swing states, the 2016 election was decided by five votes in certain precincts.
With that in mind, Zendaya said it’s important to prepare for election day. The actress researched her polling place via an app during the last election. “I stood in line and got to talk to some people in my neighborhood,” she recalled, before asking Obama what the best way is to prep for election day.
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Obama noted that she has voted by mail, in Illinois, since she and former president Barack Obama went to the White House. “You get these ballots, they’re long and they seem a little intimidating,” Obama admitted. “You can go online and get a sample ballot before you walk into the polling place. I look to organizations or people I trust who have done the work.”
“Sometimes, it’s hard to figure all those things out on your own,” Zendaya added. She encouraged followers to seek out information from When We All Vote.
Obama stressed that young people must not feel initimated as they make their own voting plans. “There is a lot of misinformation, particularly around voter fraud,” she noted.
Zendaya called on her fans to the honor all of their peers who are out their protesting and “doing the work.”
“All the history that has gone into making sure our vote counts and matters is really important. Now is as important of a time as any to make sure your voice is heard,” she said.
Obama concluded: “Nothing will change just by a hashtag or protest. In this democracy, the only thing that matters is what you do on election day. I just want to make sure young people understand that. Don’t ever stop protesting and making your voice heard in the streets. Don’t ever stop using social media. You just have to couple that with voting too.”
