Engaging our Community – The Cambodian Family

Voter Registration: Engaging our Community

With the 2012 General Elections coming near, The Cambodian Family is working hard to engage our community members to register to vote and we’re not doing it alone. Our partnerships include organizations such as Delhi Center and the Khmerican Media Group and participation in the National Voter Registration Day on September 25, 2012.

The following quote comes from Khmerican, our official media partner:

“According to recent census figures, there are over 200,000 Cambodian Americans. The largest populations are in California, New England, and the Pacific Northwest. Voter engagement by Cambodians and other Asian Americans has trailed that of other minority groups, with only 47 percent of eligible Asian Americans voting in the previous presidential election. In particular, our community has struggled not only with political awareness, but access, as ballots were not available in Khmer and some members of the older generation are not naturalized citizens. One notable exception to this poor record was a voter turnout movement aimed at Cambodians in Lowell, Massachusetts, which was initiated in 2005. Just this year, election materials in Khmer were made available in Los Angeles County, a historic first. In this spirit of progress, Khmerican urges everyone to make 2012 count even more by showing our emerging clout and getting out the vote.

Your vote is your voice. In the 2012 election, minority communities can’t afford to be silent-issues such as the economy, immigration policy, and education are at stake. If you think one vote doesn’t matter, consider that just 12 years ago, the presidential race was decided by a margin of about 500 votes in just one state, or less than one thousandth of one percent of the total popular vote. Informed voting not only makes a difference, it pays tribute to those service members who have lost their lives fighting for our rights and freedoms. Voting is fundamental to democracy.”

Our Executive Director, Sundaram Rama, stresses the importance of registering to vote:

“It’s a final act to becoming an American, to engage in choosing who should represent you and what kind of policy you want to see happening that would benefit you, your family, you community, and your country. Voting is a right and a privilege that all Americans have. We must exercise our power to choose by voting. If you don’t vote than you have given up your right and you let others choose for you. People all over the world would die for the opportunity to choose their leaders and their country destiny, in fact many did and many more are still fighting for it.”

Everyone can play a part in making a difference. Register to vote now! October 22, 2012 is the last day you can register to vote, if you want to vote in the 2012 General Elections.

View pictures from National Voter Registration Day 2012