Hometown Action

“I’m hopeful that despite all the noise, all the lies, we’re going to remember who we are, who we’re called to be. Out of this political darkness, I see a great awakening. If you vote, things will get better, it will be a start.”
— President Barack Obama

In 2019, the Kelly Ann Brown Foundation continued to focus on supporting efforts to increase voter turnout. The board especially wanted to support communities whose right to vote has long been suppressed and whom the current administration is actively working to keep from the polls on November 3, 2020.

Hometown Action got their start by engaging over 5,000 voters in rural communities just one week before the December 2017 special Alabama Senate election. Since then, Hometown Action has participated in community building, leadership development, and voter education in small towns and rural communities across the state.

Hometown Action focuses on Movement Politics to engage low-propensity voters in local, state, and national elections. Through their on-the-ground work, Hometown Action has identified issues that will further civic engagement in rural communities: healthcare, reproductive justice, LGBTQ rights and climate justice. They believe that engaging prospective voters who have been marginalized will 1) challenge right-wing narratives which have discouraged progressive turnout and mobilized the conservative electorate, 2) allow for cross-racial and class solidarity, and 3) develop leaders who will engage in mass voter registration and mobilization in the 2020 cycle.

Through their work in voter engagement, Hometown Action has found that a majority of Alabamians are disengaged from politics and did not vote in the 2016 presidential election. Hometown Action works to engage these disaffected voters through issue-based campaigns that resonate with potential voters’ experiences. By developing community-based leaders and messengers who these voters identify with, especially among women, LGBTQ folks and people of color, Hometown Action connects issues with civic engagement, builds the base of prospective progressive voters, and engages voters in key districts. Over the past three years, their base has grown to nearly 10,000 members and supporters, along with a network of over 200 active volunteers. And this is just the beginning. Hometown Action plans to build upon all of this for future elections.

KABF is grateful for all the work Hometown Action is doing to engage voters in Alabama. Visit their website by clicking here.