 Catch up and get ahead with a special Spring Break 2016 edition of The Edge. Barack Obama became the first sitting U.S. President to speak at South by Southwest in Austin this month. His conversation with Texas Tribune's Evan Smith was all about the need for civic engagement, voting, and equity, making sure everyone has the opportunity to participate. Obama said the country faces serious challenges that require focus and collective action. We go back to the need for civic engagement. We cannot solve the problems in government, and we cannot solve the problems that we face collectively as a society unless we, the people, are paying attention. One place people are not showing up is at the polls. Texas has the second lowest voter turnout in the nation. What's the problem? Obama says there are too many barriers, including some barriers put in place by lawmakers. Online voter registration is perceived to be insecure, or same-day registration. It's not insecure. It's done because the folks who are currently governing the good state of Texas aren't interested in having more people participate. While everything else seems to be getting faster and more convenient, voting is still done the slow and low-tech way in Texas. And it is much easier to order pizza or a trip than it is for you to exercise the single most important task in a democracy, and that is for you to select who's going to represent you in government. Like the obstacles, Obama urged people to reconnect for the sake of democracy. Your field is, there is a way right now for you to engage and participate to take this democracy back in ways that we have not seen before. Obama also warned against being distracted by shiny objects, and said it's important to keep focused on equity. Technology, he said, should be used to help people across the digital divide, not leave them behind. It's to focus on what's the cool next thing. Part of what we have to do is to figure out how do we use and harness the cool next thing to make sure that everybody in this country has an opportunity to make sure that we're dealing with our environment in an effective way. He returned to his original theme, the need for civic engagement. To step up and get involved, because the country needs you. Looks like we're running out of time, so... I'm the president, so I'm going to take one more minute. You will? Good. Okay, time for one more video. Spring Break at South by Southwest will also include a keynote address by First Lady Michelle Obama. Here's a replay from her 2014 talk to a few hundred college-bound students in San Antonio. Or maybe, maybe like me, along the way somebody told you, you would never make it to this day. That you simply weren't college material. Well, this day is for the doubters and the haters, too. It's the day that they see how wrong they were. This is their day, too, but most of all, this day is for you. Thanks for watching The Edge. See you next time.