los angeles >> Michelle Obama urged Americans on Monday not to tune out of the gridlocked political system and said voting — and enlisting millions of new voters — is a pathway to change in a deeply polarized nation.

“Protecting and expanding our democracy is the best and only path out of this mess,” the former first lady said during her keynote address at the Los Angeles summit of a national voting organization she helped create.

“Our democracy is fading,” Obama said, citing what she described as abusive gerrymandering practices and a new wave of voting restrictions in states that could suppress voting.

“Sometimes it’s just easier to look away,” Obama said, referring to domestic conflicts and controversies, including disinformation on social media, pervasive gun violence and the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol.

“No one has the luxury to sit out or stay at home just because you’re not feeling excited enough,” she said. “If you don’t vote, other people will.” Her speech at a soccer stadium near downtown L.A. marked the conclusion of When We All Vote’s inaugural Culture of Democracy Summit.

Obama helped launch When We All Vote in 2018 to help register eligible voters in the United States.

Obama noted record levels of voters in 2020, when the presidency was on the line. However, turnout in California’s primaries last week was light. “I want to implore every American who cares about our democracy not to just get angry or dejected,” she said