Michael Franti on Midterm Elections: 'I'm Voting Because... I'm Worried'

Voting takes 15 minutes. Daily I sit on my toilet and look at Instagram for 15 minutes; certainly I can get off my fucking ass and vote. If people go through all the random things -- standing in line at a coffee shop to get a mocaccino latte -- so many random things we do and we're only asked once every two years to go and show up for this experience. As I've grown older and see how many elections are teetering -- this last election, Trump barely squeaked by and won -- in those counties where he squeaked by... this whole thing with [Supreme Court Justice Brett] Kavanaugh wouldn't have happened.

A woman’s right to choose, voting rights in our lifetime will change completely based on the results of this election, the environment could be eroded. These things matter and they add up. ... I talk about it every night we’re on tour. I always end our shows by encouraging people to vote. We have Headcount at a lot of our shows to do voter registration. It's amazing when I sit down and talk to people who are super concerned about what’s going on and how few of them vote and how discouraged they feel.

We have to take back that power. A week and a half ago we played in Parkland [Florida] to commemorate the attack at that school at a festival the students put on. We met with those students there who were on fire, they feel it deeply and there was one woman who was a teacher who taught social studies ... she lost two children in her class and she said a week before the shooting, they were studying the Holocaust. She had a survivor come and speak to the kids. This survivor said from every great pain comes great energy and no pain should ever be wasted. That’s my response to people: If you are feeling pain right now because of what’s going on in our country, do not waste your pain; go and vote. 

I was also really moved by [the endorsement post from] Taylor Swift. I was in tears. She started off from the most apolitical space, but she's also been an advocate for the rights of artists, copyright laws and she's shown up big time. I've got mad respect for her. Hopefully she’ll be an example for other artists coming from a similar lineage because it's possible to be Taylor Swift and not end up being the Dixie Chicks.