Voter Engagement Success

KOM’s mission is to improve the quality of life for refugees from Burma living in MN, because of this mission KOM seeks to serve clients in every area of life. November held a unique need for the Karen community that KOM worked to meet: that of civic engagement.

What We Did:

Because of the St. Paul elections taking place in early November, KOM worked to provide resources for voters. KOM offered voter education seminars, allowing clients to understand the candidates and the issues on the ballot from a non-partisan perspective.

Civic engagement began in September with National Voter Registration Day. The staff at KOM joined the national outreach to register voters throughout the day at various locations around St. Paul. As a result of our volunteers, 40 people were registered to vote that day.

In addition, efforts continued in November through phone banking. Our staff and volunteers spent five days partnering with CAPI USA, AAOP, and others to call St. Paul residents and remind them about the local elections. Our hard work paid off, with the Asian American Press reporting that KOM’s efforts and that of other organizations reached over 2,200 voters in St. Paul.

What’s Next:

Although local elections are over, KOM is still working on civic engagement. With the U.S. Census coming up, KOM is seeking to make sure that refugees are aware of the process and understand the importance. As always, KOM wants to equip clients and the community to live confidently and capably within MN.

If you are interested in helping with civic engagement work or interested in finding out more information about the Census, contact Hta Thi Moo at hmoo@mnkaren.org or visit our civic engagement page.

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