The 337 Vote Project empowers disenfranchised communities through education, outreach and engagement. The organization was founded in 2021, in the aftermath of a devastating hurricane season in which two major hurricanes (Laura and Delta) wreaked havoc on the Gulf Coast. In Lake Charles, where the 337 Vote Project is based, 20,000 residents were displaced in the aftermath. Many of those residents were left in the dark about where and how to vote. This led Project founders Breon Robinson and Kennedy Green to do what they could to inform voters and help them see that they can decide who supports and represents their communities. Since then, the organization has organized youth voter registration events, community get-out-the-vote celebrations, and other activities. Through this work, the 337 Vote Project is working to help the community to see how showing up at the ballot is a way to confront the issues that matter most to them, from social change to climate justice.
An all-volunteer, BIPOC-led organization, the 337 Vote Project’s five-person staff work tirelessly to get out the vote. Its co-founders are Lake Charles natives, raised with a firm sense of civic responsibility. Together, they’ve maintained a particular focus on youth registration. Their first registration event was held at a Washington-Marion high school basketball game, and they have used social media to engage and inform young voters on local and national issues. “It’s not just about voting,” Green told the American Press. “It’s about what you’re doing after the election. Are you holding elected officials to the promises they’ve made and not just relying on them to make things happen?” Along with hosting meet-the-candidate events and online forums, the Project has partnered with the New Orleans-based Power Coalition on an annual Bike and Vote campaign, combining voter registration and family-friendly activities to engage people in the civic process.
337 Vote Project Founders Breon Robinson, left, and Kennedy Green. Photo: 337 Vote Project