NATIONWIDE — Barack Obama is asking people in the United to States to text him.

On September 23, the former president posted on various social media accounts “All right, let's try something new. If you’re in the United States, send me a text at 773-365-9687 — I want to hear how you're doing, what's on your mind, and how you're planning on voting this year.”

“I'll be in touch from time to time to share what's on my mind, too,” Obama added.

The message is accompanied by a photo of Obama and the former first lady looking at a phone.

People who call the number will hear Obama’s voice after three rings.

"Hi, it's Barack Obama," he says. "Send me a text and I'll send you messages from time to time. Looking forward to hearing from you."

Texting the number results in an immediate response.

"Hey! It's Barack. Click the link to sign up so I can respond directly to you. I won't be able to get to everything, but I'll be in touch to share what's on my mind and I want to hear from you, too. Let's do this," the message says.

The link leads to Community.com, a text-based platform that enables "direct and instant communication at massive scale, all through text messaging," according to the company’s website.

To sign up, people must input their name, gender, birthday and city.

Michelle Obama is also encouraging people to vote by working with When We All Vote, a nonpartisan voter engagement organization that she co-chairs.