Knocking on doors on 17th Street South in Moorhead, volunteers Sonia Hohnadel and Georgia Linn are trying to figure out if a Bosnian-speaking man is eligible to vote.

After several unsuccessful attempts at communication that at one point leads the man to believe the women are asking him to run for president, they promise to send a Bosnian-speaking volunteer later.

"It's kind of hard to explain politics when there's a language barrier," said Hohnadel, also a Moorhead School Board member. "It's hard to explain politics when there's not a language barrier."

A joint venture of two Moorhead nonprofits, the Centro Cultural de Fargo/Moorhead and the People Escaping Poverty Project, will attempt to break down those barriers, language and otherwise.

Get Out and Vote, a nonpartisan registration drive, is meant to give a political voice to groups that have historically lacked one, PEPP Executive Director Duke Schempp said.

Ultimately, the goal is to get more Latinos and other underrepresented populations interested in local politics, Schempp said.

"It's those local races that can really inspire groups to realize every vote counts," he said. "They could be a political force to deal with if they were organized."

There are only a handful of local races in Moorhead this year -- a state congressional race and two contested county commissioner races.

Because of that, organizers hope this year's efforts produce interested voters and possibly candidates for next year's council and school board races.

"The only way for us to get our voices heard is to actually get involved in the process and develop leaders," said Lisa Gallegos, Centro Cultural director.

Ten volunteers spent Thursday night in various Moorhead neighborhoods, knocking on doors to register residents to vote.

Two doors down from the Bosnian family, Hohnadel and Linn registered Todd Peterson and his wife, Carrie Smith.

Peterson, 44, recently moved from Illinois. Though he said he has voted in every election since 1978 except in 2000, he had not yet registered to vote and appreciated the help.

"I wasn't even planning on going to register," he said.

Schempp said while 43 people were signed up Thursday night, including 11 Hispanic voters, registering people to vote serves a second purpose.

It allows volunteers to get their foot in the door and ask people what local issues concern them.

"We see the voter registration as a tool to go talk to people. I've been telling people, 'You can run if you're dissatisfied with the way the city is run,' " he said.

Besides the voter registration cards, 20 people filled out issue cards Thursday, Schempp said. The two groups will use that information to organize voters' forums for local races in October, Schempp said.

Get Out and Vote will also provide transportation to polls on Election Day, and bring in speakers and organize groups after the election to talk to local winners, Gallegos said.

"It's about having a relationship with whoever wins. That's where the power comes from," Schempp said.

Readers can reach Forum reporter Dave Roepke at (701) 241-5535