Before Vice President Kamala Harris lost the election Wednesday morning, Oprah Winfrey warned on Monday that if people don’t vote on Election Day, they might lose the chance to cast ballots in future elections.
“If we don’t show up tomorrow, it is entirely possible that we will not have the opportunity to ever cast a ballot again,” she told the crowd at a Philadelphia rally for Harris.
“Let me be very clear: If you do not make sure that the people in your life can get to the polls, that is a mistake,” Winfrey continued. “Deciding not to decide – that is most definitely a vote to let other people control your future.”
The former talk show host expressed that those voting for Harris are doing so to defend the Constitution, among other reasons.
“We are voting to defend and protect the Constitution of the United States. We are voting for values. We are voting for values and integrity,” Winfrey said. “We are voting for the right to choose what happens to our own bodies.
“We are voting to save ourselves from this precipice of danger where we now stand. All the anxiety and the fear you’re feeling, you’re feeling that because you sense the danger. And you change that with your vote,” she continued. “We are voting for healing over hate.”
In September, Winfrey and Harris held a moderated conversation with voters.
“For all of you watching who are still on the fence, you’re in the middle, you’re independent as I am or whether you’re just still don’t know what you’re gonna do: This is the moment for all decent people, all caring people who want the best for yourself, and you want the best for other people,” Winfrey said at the time.
Harris conceded the election in a speech on Wednesday at her alma mater, Howard University, in Washington, D.C.
“While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign,” she said. “The fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness and the dignity of all people — a fight for the ideals at the heart of our nation — the ideals that reflect America at our best.”
