Michelle Obama ominously warns about 'apathy' by key voter group that could determine election

Michelle Obama sounded an ominous warning on Tuesday night, telling thousands in Atlanta that 'disillusionment and apathy' could determine the results of the presidential election .

She called on Americans to 'stop the spiral of disillusionment and apathy. It's our job to show folks that two things can be true at once: that it is possible to be outraged by the slow pace of progress and be committed to your own pursuit of that progress.'

The former first lady was in Atlanta as part of her nonprofit When We All Vote, which encourages voting registration. Many in her audience were young students from Atlanta's historically black colleges and universities.

'It is possible to be disheartened by what's happening and still choose to do everything in your power to make it better, to speak out, to organize, to donate and yes, vote,' she reminded the crowd.

Kamala Harris is struggling to hold onto black male voters in her contest with Republican rival Donald Trump . Polls show the presidential race is essentially tied. Both parties are doing all they can to get their voters to the polls.

Michelle Obama, who has campaigned for Harris, issued repeated warnings of what will happen if people don't vote.

'The process goes on with or without you. Decisions are made, judges appointed, laws enacted. So when you talking to folks out there who are considering sitting on the sidelines, I want you to tell them about how this system really works,' she said.

She reminded them about the 1996 presidential election - the one between George W. Bush and Al Gore.

'The entire presidency in that election was decided by 537 votes in Florida,' she said of that contest, which had come down to a handful of votes in one county.

Her stop in Georgia came as the state wraps up early voting.

Already, more than 3 million people in the state have cast ballots, according to the secretary of state's office.

Georgia is one of seven battleground states that will decide the election.

Michelle Obama argued that politics was more important than anything else.

'We've got a lot of folks thirsty for likes from their followers but uninterested in the needs of their communities,' she said. 'We've got folks excited to vote on reality shows but not willing to vote for their actual reality.'

'The process,' she warned, 'goes on, with or without you.'

Her appearance with her nonprofit was non-political - she did not talk about any specific candidate. But it came a few days after she campaigned alongside Harris in Michigan, where she painted a harsh realty for women if Donald Trump wins the White House.