Civic Participation and Voter Engagement
by Pete White

LA CAN's work is based in alerting, empowering and activating residents of the Central City East community, often referred to as Skid Row, around issues that affect our everyday lives. Civic participation is inextricable to our work of organizing and educating a community that is in great need of resources and positive change.

LA CAN believes that civic participation is achieved through numerous individual acts, as well as collective community actions. We utilize voting to exercise one of the most basic rights of participation in the public process. In addition, LA CAN organizes residents to raise their voice in other ways to improve our community.

Since 2004, our Voter Participation Project has specifically focused on utilizing key local and national elections to educate and activate hundreds of residents, and sustain their involvement in future campaigns. This project helps put the "public" back in public policy.