Civic Engagement Program

KOM partners with CAPI USA to educate the community about the importance of civic engagement and participating in the voting process.

Voter Outreach

As part of this work, we offer voter education sessions in the fall that focus on informing community members about how to register to vote, how to find and get to their polling locations, and providing a list of all open positions up for election in their areas.

Another important piece of the program is reminding folks to get out and vote! KOM participates in phone banking and Get Out the Vote activities leading up to election day.

KOM’s Civic Engagement Coordinator, Hta Thi Yu Moo, explained that voter education is important because KOM serves “many elders and new citizens who are unfamiliar with the election process.” Hta Thi continued to say that KOM’s work does not promote a specific political party, but rather raises awareness about elections and empowering members of the Karen community to make an informed decision. At KOM, we offer civic engagement to educate our community to understand and exercise their civic rights.

For more information about the Civic Engagement Program, contact Hta Thi Yu Moo, Weaving & Civic Engagement Coordinator.

2021 November Elections

The November Elections are coming up soon! The Civic Engagement Program is committed to helping the Karen community exercise their right to vote by assisting in voter registration, absentee ballot requests, and Voter Workshops. Additionally, if you’re interested in volunteering to help turn out voters, please sign up for our phone-banking opportunities below. 

Registering to Vote

Before you can submit your ballot, you must register to vote. If you’ve never registered to vote you will need to do so. Additionally, if you have not voted in 4 years, have moved, or have changed your name, you will need to register again. If you’re unsure about your registration status, you can check your status here.

To register, visit the Minnesota Secretary of State website. Select whether you’d like to register online, on paper, or on election day. For assistance registering, please contact Hta Thi Yu Moo.

Requesting an Absentee Ballot

Voting by mail is a great way to exercise your civic rights from home! You can request your ballot here.  

Your local election official should process your application within one week, after which you can track your ballot’s status.

Once your ballot arrives, you can either wait to learn more about the candidates through our Voter Workshops, or else promptly fill it out and mail it back in. To do this, place your ballot in the pre-addressed and pre-paid envelope you received with your ballot. You can then drop it off at the post office, a mailbox, or your county’s election office. If you live in Ramsey County, that office is located at 90 Plato Blvd. W, St. Paul, MN, 55117. If you choose to go this route, make sure that your ballot is returned to an official inside the building, whether that be through curbside service or by walking the ballot inside. Do not place your ballot in payment boxes or drop boxes.   

Voter Workshops

This October, the Civic Engagement Program will host two Voter Workshops through Zoom in October. They will be presented in Karen and will cover the voting process for this year and the candidates in some local elections. To sign up, please contact Hta Thi Yu Moo.

Phone-Banking

Phone-banking is a great way to encourage the community to get out and vote!  Volunteers will be reaching out to voters to help them register to vote, request their absentee ballots, and remind them to get out and vote.

This October and November, there will be two opportunities to phone-bank. Regular phone-banking has already started and will take place between 5pm and 8pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays through October 26th. Get out the Vote phone-banking will take place from 8am to 8pm between October 29th and November 2nd. For both regular phone-banking and Get out the Vote, volunteer shifts will last three hours. Because of COVID-19, phone banking will take place at home to ensure everyone’s safety. Virtual orientations will be provided via zoom prior to each shift. To volunteer, fill out our online volunteer application and we will help you sign up for a shift!

Funded by a grant from the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation and CAPI USA.