Voting Orientation Training and Empowerment (VOTE) Project

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SEARAC, the Asian American Justice Center (AAJC), and the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC) have developed a joint project called the Voting Orientation Training and Empowerment Project ("Project VOTE").The project is working with the Cambodian Association of America (CAA) in Long Beach California and the Wausau Area Hmong Association (WAHMA) in Wausau, Wisconsin.

Both communities have high concentrations of Southeast Asians in a voting jurisdiction, and the two organizations have a proven interest in increasing their community's civic participation and ability to work in coalition with other organizations, and the requisite capacity to sustain a 30 month project.

Participants would receive training and technical assistance in using census and other data to identify target neighborhoods for exit polling, voter registration, voter education, and voter mobilization. In addition, participants and other stakeholders would be convened for workshops in Washington, D.C. and in their city on related topics, including strategies, techniques and models for building civic participation. SEARAC, AAJC and participants will work to develop culturally and linguistically appropriate outreach materials, event templates and ethnic media campaigns.

CAA and the WAHMA received mini-grants to help support local activities, and technical assistance from the national partners for exit polling during the 2004 elections. Both organizations are designing a local project that would include strategic mapping, voter registration, voter education and training, and get out the vote activities. Project VOTE is strictly nonpartisan.