KA VOICE
OUR VOTE, OUR VOICE !
ABOUT US
KAVOICE stands for Korean American Voter Organizing Initiative &
Community Empowerment.
KAVOICE organizes the community to solve the community issues through collective actions.
KAVOICE organizes non-partisan voter registration, voter education, and GOTV campaigns to increase Korean American voter turnout.
KAVOICE has been organizing Korean American Early Voting Days at Glenview and Schaumburg since 2012 where about 7,000 strong Korean American voters participated.
WHAT WE DO
VOTING RIGHTS ADVOCACY
Voting rights are the foundation of our democracy and gives all Americans equal say in the state of our country. This is one of the reasons KAVOICE believes it is of utmost importance that voting is easily accessible to those who do not speak the majority language, English. During each election cycle KAVOICE holds early voting days for Korean Americans in the Greater Chicago Area to vote with the help of translators. We have seen that these efforts greatly increase voter turnout as thousands of Korean Americans come out to vote.
YOUTH LEADERSHIP PROGRAM
KAVOICE Youth group meets regularly once a month during school and meets several times a week during breaks, learning about the community issues and organizing campaigns to solve the issues.
“We have to rethink the concept of leader, because leader implies follower. I think we need to embrace the idea that
we are the leaders we’ve been looking for.”
— Author, social activist, philosopher and feminist Grace Lee Boggs, at 91 years of age.
KOREAN BALLOT CAMPAIGN
The language barrier is the biggest hurdle preventing Korean Americans with limited English skills from going to polls. KAVOICE has held countless meetings with different state representatives to ask for ballots to be available in Korean because we believe it will boost voter turnout in Illinois, expanding democracy for our minority community.
ADVOCACY AT WASHINGTON D.C.
Although KAVOICE is an organization based in Illinois, it is also important to urge our representatives on the national level. Every year, both KAVOICE youth and adults fly out to D.C. to speak with Illinois representatives and senators. We simultaneously learn key political and social issues that affect Korean Americans and also apply that knowledge when we ask our congressmen and women to recognize the Korean American community's efforts as citizens of the United States of America.
KOREAN AMERICAN GRASSROOTS CONFERENCES IN CHICAGO
Each year, KAVOICE hosts a Grassroots conference in the Greater Chicago Area. Korean Americans of all backgrounds and age groups come out to hear speakers and participate in engaging activities. Youth also have a chance to shine as there is usually a performance embracing Korean culture both in a traditional and popular sense. KAVOICE has recently added a Youth portion to the conference as students themselves plan important political topics to discuss as well as connect with their community.
