Former President Barack Obama may not be in office any more, but he’s using his voice to rally behind several Democratic congressional candidates. On Friday, Obama kicks off the campaign season by speaking at the University of Illinois and is expected have Democratic Senators and Congressmen in attendance, including Senator Dick Durbin (D) of Illinois. You can watch the live feed below: In addition to his stop in Illinois, Obama is heading to California to headline a rally to campaign for seven Democratic congressional candidates in closely watched contests in California. The Obama rally, organized by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, will be held near Disneyland at the Anaheim Convention Center near Disneyland. Obama will also attend an event for Richard Cordray, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Ohio, next Thursday. During today’s speech in Illinois, as he accepts the Paul H. Douglas Award for Ethics in Government, Obama said, “You need to vote because our democracy depends on it. Some of you may thing I’m exaggerating when I say this November’s election is the most important one yet…the stakes really are higher. The consequences of any of us sitting on the sideline are more dire.” And that’s definitely the truth about today’s politics.