Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) and Its Alliance for Civic Engagement Readies for National Voter Registration Day

WASHINGTON, D.C. – APIAVote and partner organizations launch expansive voter registration campaign, targeting AAPI voters across the United States, in preparation for  National Voter Registration Day.

 

APIAVote is proud to be a partner and participant in this year’s National Voter Registration Day (NVRD). This nonpartisan civic holiday involves thousands of volunteers and organizations from across the United States to increase voter registration in their communities. Through this campaign, APIAVote and its Alliance for Civic Engagement (ACE) partners will reach tens of thousands of voters who may not have otherwise registered. Nearly 1.5 million registered to vote on NVRD in 2020 alone.

 

“AAPIs have doubled over the past couple of decades and our voting power has increased substantially, growing 46% in 2020. By 2025, we are expected to reach 5% or more of voters nationally. In key battleground states, we have become the margin of victory,” said Christine Chen, Executive Director of APIAVote. “These elections directly impact the lives of AAPI communities and how we respond to rising anti-Asian hate, protect our freedom to vote, access healthcare, and fund our schools.”

 

To broaden the reach of APIAVote and its ACE partner’s efforts, a public service announcement will air nationally on Comcast this month that shares why AAPIs register and vote and how they are multiplying their vote by asking their friends to join them. Additionally, APIAVote is launching a concurrent social media campaign entitled #AAPIsVote2022 encouraging every AAPI to share why they vote and publicly name three friends they are asking to join them.

 

APIAVote is also honored to support the members of its nation-wide ACE network across 28 states such as AZ AANHPI for Equity, Asian American Advancing Justice – Atlanta, Asian Community Development Council (ACDC), Asian Law Alliance, Asian American Pacific Islanders Coming Together (ACT), Asian Americans Organizing Project, Asian Business Association Foundation, CAPI USA, Center for Pan Asian Community Services (CPACS), Missouri Asian American Youth Foundation, National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP), New Mexico Asian Family Center, North Carolina Asian Americans Together (NCAAT), OCA-Greater Cleveland, OCA-Greater Houston (OCA-GH), South Asian American Voter Empowerment of Texas Education Fund (SAAVETX EF), SEAMAAC, TARGETOHIO, VietLead, Asian Texans for Justice, and others as they run their in-person and virtual activations, including voter registration drives, virtual textbanks, social media campaigns, and more to get our AAPI communities ready to vote. These are just a few of the events being hosted this year.

 

In-Person Events:

 

ARIZONA: AZ AANHPI for Equity is doing voter registration at 3 high schools in the West Valley, in collaboration with Phoenix School Union and One Arizona on Tues, Sep 20 from 9:30-10:30am for National Voter Registration Day at Betty Fairfax High School, Metro Tech High School, and South Mountain High School. AZ AANHPI for Equity is also hosting voter registration drives at Phochella (in collaboration with the Fuerte Arts Movement) on Saturday, Sep 24 from 3pm-9pm and at the Women in Government Panel on Monday, Sep 26 at the Studios at Mesa City Center from 6pm-9pm (in collaboration with Gift and Thrift Mesa). Contact [email protected] to learn more.

CALIFORNIA: Asian Law Alliance will be hosting youth voter education presentations as well as partnering with other local groups to host voter registration drives in San Jose Public Libraries. Contact [email protected] to learn more.

CALIFORNIA: Asian Business Association Foundation will be hosting a voting registration open house from 4PM to 6PM at 7675 Dagget St # 340, San Diego, CA 92111. Visit the heart of the Convoy Asian Cultural District, register to vote or update your registration, then join us for a business crawl for the best boba and food this region has to offer! We’ll be bringing registration forms with us to register people at every stop! Contact [email protected] to learn more.

FLORIDA: Asian American Pacific Islanders Coming Together (ACT) and National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP) – Orlando Chapter out of FLORIDA are hosting a Day of ACTion for National Voter Registration Day in Orlando’s Mills 50 District  on NVRD. The event will be held at  Chuan Lu Garden on 1101 E Colonial Drive, Orlando, Florida. Remarks begin at 12pm with sign waving and canvassing beginning at 12:30pm.  ACT and NAAAP are also partnering with the Asian Pacific American Coalition (APAC) at the University of Central Florida (UCF) to host voter registration drives at the university on Sep 25 and Voter Education Week, Oct. 3-7. Contact [email protected] for more information.

GEORGIA: Asian American Advancing Justice – Atlanta is hosting a voter registration drive at a local high school in the morning to early afternoon, and a voter registration drive with partner organizations in the evening at Blackburn Park (3493 Ashford Dunwoody Rd, Brookhaven, GA) from 5:30 – 7 PM. Center for Pan Asian Community Services (CPACS) is also participating.

IOWA: Iowa Asian Alliance (IAA) is hosting voter registration drives with fun festivities for NVRD on Sep 20 and throughout the week, including in partnerships with the League of Women Voters (LWV) Des Moines, Drake University Democrats and Republicans, and Drake Community Engaged Learning (Sep 20, 9 AM-4 PM on Drake University campus); with the LWV Des Moines and AAPI organizations (Sep 20, 5 PM-8 PM at C-Fresh Asian Market); with LWV Des Moines, NAACP and Skate DSM during their Streetstyle Open, a 3-day skateboarding competition (Sep 22-24, 4 PM-8 PM at various skate parks); with AsianFest in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (Sep 24, 12 PM-5 PM); with the Vietnamese American Community of Iowa (Sep 24, 12 PM-6 PM for elders and parents,  with fun children activities). Contact IAA at [email protected].

MICHIGAN: Rising Voices is hosting voter registration drives at multiple Asian American businesses across the state and creating a social media online series focusing on local Asian American communities. Visit us at www.risingvoicesaaf.org and contact us at [email protected] to learn more.

MICHIGAN: Asian and Pacific Islander Americans Vote-MI is hosting multiple voter registration events in SE Michigan and online. Contact us at [email protected] to join, and visit our website www.apiavotemi.org to learn more.

MINNESOTA: CAPI USA is hosting voter engagement activities at high schools, college campuses, and community hotspots. Contact tambryanna.williams@capiusa.org to learn more.

MINNESOTA: Asian Americans Organizing Project are collaborating with high school students to host multiple voter registration drives. Contact [email protected] to learn more.

MISSOURI: The Missouri Asian American Youth Foundation held voter registration at Mid Autumn festivals.

NEVADA: Asian Community Development Council (ACDC) out of Nevada is registering high schoolers to vote in the morning of NVRD at Las Vegas high schools. A larger event will be held at Desert Breeze Park that day at 5:00pm-9:30pm, which will include voter registration, free food, tabling by partner organizations and a showing of the film Everything Everywhere All at Once. Contact [email protected] to learn more.

NEW MEXICO: New Mexico Asian Family Center (NMAFC) is conducting voter registration drives and Get-out-the-vote activities. Contact [email protected] to learn more.

NEW YORK: MinKwon Center for Community Action is conducting voter registration and collecting community pledges in support of Local Law 11 (Our City Our Vote), local legislation that will expand voting rights to immigrant New Yorkers at the Flushing YMCA on Tuesday September 20 from 10AM – 1PM. Contact [email protected] to join, volunteer or learn about the event.

NORTH CAROLINA: North Carolina Asian Americans Together (NCAAT) is hosting a week of action around NVRD starting Sep 17-22, with voter registration drives and collecting pledges to vote at community events, and high school and college campuses across the state. Throughout the week, we will be tabling from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at NC State University, UNC Chapel Hill, Duke University, UNC Greensboro, Guilford College, Wake Tech Community College, and NC School of Science and Math. Additionally, we are collecting volunteer sign-ups and survey responses to build, engage, and better understand our base. Contact [email protected] for more information.

OHIO: Asian Services in Action (ASIA) launched our week of National Voter Registration with voter registration drives in Cleveland on Saturday, September 17th with games at the ArtBox Park in AsiaTown and Akron on Sunday, September 18th with Boba in the People’s Park. Contact [email protected] to learn more.

OHIO: OCA Greater Cleveland, Asian Services in Action (ASIA), and AsiaTown Cleveland are hosting several voter registration drives in conjunction with vaccine distribution events in Cleveland, Ohio on Tuesday, Sep 20 from 11am-3pm  ET at Asia Plaza on E. 30th & Payne Ave. To end the week of celebration, there will also be a Lunchtime Party-In-The-Park from 11am-1pm ET at the AsiaTown Pop-Up Park Sep 22-23 on E. 33rd & Payne Ave. Learn more at ocagc.org/nvrd2022.

OHIO: TARGETOHIO is hosting voter registration drives on the two weekends flanking National Voter Registration Day: Sunday, Sep 18 and Saturday, Sep  24, 2022, from 10am-6pm in front of CAM International Market in Cincinnati. Contact [email protected] to learn more.

PENNSYLVANIA: SEAMAAC is partnering with student organizations at the University of Pennsylvania to conduct a voter registration drive, assisting in electronic registration submissions. Contact [email protected] to learn more.

PENNSYLVANIA: VietLead is tabling at the Southeast Asian Vendors Market in Philadelphia on Sunday, September 18, 2022, 10am-2pm ET  Contact [email protected] to learn more.

TEXAS: SAAVETXEF is hosting multiple voter registration drives at South Asian festivals across Texas through October 11 as well as working on voter registration and commit to vote cards. Contact [email protected] to learn more.

TEXAS: OCA-GREATER HOUSTON is holding door to door canvassing for voter registration 5 days a week through October 6 and pledge to vote forms. Contact [email protected] to join us.

 

TEXAS: Asian Texans for Justice is holding multiple events with partners in Dallas and Austin. Dallas – Garland Tax office, Downtown Tax office, North Dallas Tax office, Mesquite Tax office, and Oak Cliff Tax office from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm. Austin – Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar from 12 pm – 6:00 pm. Contact [email protected] to learn more.

 

UTAH: NTAS will be holding our yearly event at Jordan Park where we will be hosting a day filled with fun for the family. We will be tabling with other organizations and registering people to vote. We will be giving away Register to vote tshirts, pins and we will also have entertainment and refreshments. We will also be  at several Pacific Islander business locations canvassing and registering our community to vote. Two locations will be; The Anwhut One stop Polynesian Shop and Mokis island grill. For more info contact: [email protected]

 

Chen added: “By increasing our voter registration and voter turnout – we have the opportunity to speak our truths about these issues, demand the changes we want to see, and secure our seat at the decision-making table. AAPIs came out in historic numbers in 2020, and we are pushing our communities to keep those we elected accountable by voting this year and beyond. APIAVote works to ensure every eligible AAPI is #VoteReady this National Voter Registration Day.”

 

For a more detailed list of our partner events, please visit website at apiavote.org/nvrd22events