Michelle Obama Recalls How Her Father 'Pushed Himself' To Vote Despite Having Multiple Sclerosis

By Paula Rogo · August 22, 2018

Michelle Obama shared a touching story up about why she is compelled to vote at every election.

As part of her efforts to spur voter turnout for the November election, the former first lady shared a personal story of how watching her own father vote taught her the importance of always fulfilling that particular civic duty.

“I grew up in a household where voting was just something you did all the time,” she said in a newly released video, which is part of her When We All Vote initiative.

She explains that her father, Fraser C. Robinson III, had multiple sclerosis. But the disease never discouraged him from making sure he got to a polling station each election, rain or shine, to vote.

“I would watch my dad vote and think, ‘Wow, what a special responsibility that must be,’” she added. “It must be something important to take this much time out and push himself to get to the polling place.”

“That’s one of the reasons I don’t take voting for granted,” Obama continued, adding that the size of the election shouldn’t matter. “I vote in every election because voting in every election is the only way you can have your voice heard.”

Over the next few days, I’ll be sharing some photos and memories from my book, BECOMING. My father, Fraser, taught me to work hard, laugh often, and keep my word. My mother, Marian, showed me how to think for myself and to use my voice. Together, in our cramped apartment on the South Side of Chicago, my family helped me see the value in our story, in my story, and in the larger story of our country.

A post shared by Michelle Obama (@michelleobama) on May 22, 2018 at 6:46am PDT

In July, Obama teamed up with several celebrities to launch a voter registration initiative ahead of this year’s midterm elections. The non-profit, When We All Vote, is a non-partisan organization with the goal to get more voters registered.

The initiative also announced its Week of Action, which runs from September 22 to 29, in which the program will help neighbors friends and family members get registered to vote.