Minnesota Voices is a left-leaning voter mobilization group that coordinates the efforts of other left-leaning activist groups in Minnesota. The group is part of the nationwide coalition State Voices, which organizes state-based political advocacy groups. ¹ It is partnered with various left-of-center activist groups including the Minnesota Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Alliance, the NAACP Minneapolis Branch, and OutFront Minnesota. ²

Programs

Minnesota Voices operates four different programs: the Civic Engagement Program, Get Out the Vote, Native American Table, and the Minnesota Voice Community Organizer Leadership Program. ³ The latter is a program that trains organizers of specific ethnicities to execute voter engagement efforts focused on increasing voter turnout from communities of color. ⁴

The goal of the Minnesota Voices Civic Engagement Program is to engage racial and ethnic minorities and other groups — including women, LGBTQ persons, and young people — in left-leaning political activism. ⁵

The Native American Table does similar work among tribal communities. It funds two native-led organizations that do long-term civic engagement work in native communities, the Native American Community Development Institute and American Indian OIC. ⁶

The Get Out the Vote program is the largest year-to-year program of Minnesota Voices. This program focus registered racial and ethnic minorities, women, LGBTQ persons, and young persons to vote. ⁷

Partnerships

Minnesota Voices is partnered with various left-of-center organizations across the United States and in Minnesota. One of these organizations is the Minnesota Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Alliance, ⁸ a faith-based organization that mobilizes voters to rally behind liberal policies. ⁹  Another partnered organization is the NAACP Minneapolis Branch, one of the various branches of the NAACP. ¹⁰ Another partner of Minnesota Voices is OutFront Minnesota, a political advocacy organization that focuses on LGBTQ issues and policies. ¹¹

People

HwaJeong Kim is the executive director of Minnesota Voices. She attended Hamline University in Saint Paul Minnesota and is an alumna of Nexus Community Partners Board and Commissions Leadership Institute. ¹²

Bao Chue Lee is the operations director of Minnesota Voices. She currently manages the organization’s grant programs, partnerships, and other various business matters. ¹³

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2. “Partners — Minnesota Voice.” Minnesota Voice. Accessed September 20, 2021. https://www.minnesotavoice.org/partners.
3. “Programs — Minnesota Voice.” Minnesota Voice. Accessed September 19, 2021. https://www.minnesotavoice.org/programs.
4. “Fellowship Programs — Minnesota Voice.” Minnesota Voice. Accessed September 19, 2021. https://www.minnesotavoice.org/fellowship-programs.
5. Programs — Minnesota Voice.” Minnesota Voice. Accessed September 19, 2021. https://www.minnesotavoice.org/programs.
6. Programs — Minnesota Voice.” Minnesota Voice. Accessed September 19, 2021. https://www.minnesotavoice.org/programs.
7. Programs — Minnesota Voice.” Minnesota Voice. Accessed September 19, 2021. https://www.minnesotavoice.org/programs.
8. “Partners — Minnesota Voice.” Minnesota Voice. Accessed September 20, 2021. https://www.minnesotavoice.org/partners.
9. “WHAT WE DO.” MUUSJA – Minnesota Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Alliance. Last modified April 1, 2021. https://www.muusja.org/what-we-do/.
10. NAACP MPLS. Accessed September 20, 2021. https://www.mplsnaacp.org/.
11. “About Us.” OutFront Minnesota. Accessed September 20, 2021. https://www.outfront.org/about-us.
12. “Staff — Minnesota Voice.” Minnesota Voice. Accessed September 19, 2021. https://www.minnesotavoice.org/staff.
13. “Staff — Minnesota Voice.” Minnesota Voice. Accessed September 19, 2021. https://www.minnesotavoice.org/staff.