In any introductory political science course, students learn that one of the defining features of a thriving democracy is elections—these being free and fair elections, of course. Any dictator can muscle his way into the ballot box, or simply ignore the electoral results and continue to remain in office.

And while some American elections have been mired in scandal—think of the 2016 presidential election; and the debacle surrounding the 2000 presidential race’s electoral recount in Florida, it’s worth looking beyond the spectacle to consider both the privilege and the responsibility American citizens have in this unique democratic process.

One citizen who believes strongly in the importance of electoral participation is second-year Batten MPP student Jack DiMatteo. During Batten Hour on Monday, Oct. 15, DiMatteo presented on his fellowship with When We All Vote. As part of the MPP program, students have a mandatory internship between their first and second year, which is what led to DiMatteo’s summer internship with the new non-partisan non-profit. The brainchild of Former First Lady Michelle Obama, When We All Vote aims to bring together citizens, institutions, and organizations to spark a conversation about rights and responsibilities in shaping American democracy. Specifically, the responsibility of registering to vote—and then actually voting.

The nascent organization, which launched in July 2017, is supported by A-list co-chairs, such as Janelle Monae and Tom Hanks. As celebrities, the co-chairs serve an inspirational function—one that mobilizes voter participation while galvanizing volunteer support. For DiMatteo, the volunteers are the heart of the organization—because they exist outside of the limelight and are, therefore, able to reach people at a local level.

Speaking with DiMatteo after Batten Hour, he explained how he ended up at Mrs. Obama’s organization. DiMatteo was hired as an intern with Civic Advisors, a social impact strategy and consulting firm made up of a team and network of Obama-Biden White House and campaign alumni. On the second day of his internship, DiMatteo was asked by Civic Advisors Founder Kyle Lierman if he wanted to join a new organization that Lierman would be leading: When We All Vote. Having always believed in the power to effect change, DiMatteo decided to take the plunge.

Prior to the When We All Vote launch, DiMatteo was tasked with researching participation trends in order to identify the reasons behind poor voter turnout in America. His research findings were shocking. As he pointed out to the Batten hour audience, “The turnout rate in the most recent midterm elections was the lowest since WWII.”

According to DiMatteo, some of the reasons behind poor voter turnout are not so complex—running the gamut of people thinking their vote does not really matter to people not identifying with any candidate or political party. For DiMatteo those reasons are weak—voting is a fundamental right—and offers citizens a chance to participate—to have a say in the here and the now, but also the future.

At a recent When We All Vote convention in Las Vegas, Michelle Obama asked the crowd, “Why are some folks still not showing up to vote? And I know it’s not because people don’t care. That I know. We all care about what happens in our communities. Right? Especially when things go wrong, we care. But even with all that said, there are still millions of people who think that voting isn’t relevant to their lives… or they think voting won’t make a difference… or they think the system is rigged, so why bother?  Or maybe they feel overwhelmed, like the issues are too complicated and that politics is just too ugly. So they just don’t want to get involved. Some folks are real busy. They just feel like they don’t have time for anything else in their lives.”

She empathizes with those reasons, but left the audience with one remark, “Democracy continues with or without you.”

And the Former First Lady is right. Democracy will continue with or without everyone—decisions will be made with or without us but we have an opportunity to use our voice, to express our opinions at the ballot box—a unique privilege that not everyone in the world shares.

At one point and time, that right did not extend to all American citizens—as DiMatteo highlighted, showing a video clip from an interview with Congressman John Lewis. Lewis, who had marched with Dr. King at Selma—had led another non-violent march demanding the right to register to vote. Lewis along with many others risked their lives to vote and for some, it cost them their lives in an event that would be referred later to as “Bloody Sunday.” Lewis’s story is a stark contrast to the voter disaffection that exists today.

Keeping that in mind, it is time to take part in one of the more basic American responsibilities.

Go here to register with When We All Vote and here to check your registration status.