MEDIA ADVISORY
November 16, 2020
Media Contact:
Jennifer Baik, jbaik@apiavote.org | 202-649-0130
COMMUNITY LEADERS TO ADDRESS RECORD VOTER TURNOUT AMONG ASIAN AMERICAN & PACIFIC ISLANDERS IN PRESS BRIEFING
WHAT: On November 18 at 12:00 pm ET, nonpartisan civic engagement organization Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) will host a press conference with Executive Director Christine Chen to address the record turnout of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) voters in the 2020 election. This year, in presidential battleground states, 911,393 AAPI voters turned out to vote early — 21% more voters than the entire AAPI turnout in those states in 2016.
The press conference will feature remarks from organizers and community leaders in key battleground states — including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Texas — on how they mobilized their communities this election cycle, what issues resonate with AAPI voters, and why turnout increased in their states. Among the topline reasons for the surge in AAPI voters this year:
- Early grassroots engagement: Community groups and leaders organized not only around the election but also the 2020 census to spark interest leading up to the election. APIAVote worked with local groups to host over 50 trainings for thousands of community members on the importance of civic engagement and voter education.
- Increased partisan outreach: Both Republicans and Democrats built larger community engagement programs this cycle, but there is still a massive need for earlier investments and ongoing engagement from the parties and campaigns.
- Targeted (and translated) voter outreach: APIAVote reached over 700,000 households leading up to the election through non-partisan and in-language phonebanking, textbanking and a comprehensive mail program that covered 20 states and 13 different languages.
- Election protection: In conjunction with Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, APIAVote received thousands of calls from voters to the 888-API-VOTE hotline in the weeks leading up to the election.
WHO:
- Christine Chen, Executive Director, APIAVote
- Jennifer Chau, Program Director, Arizona AANHPI for Equity
- Stephanie Cho, Executive Director, Asian American Advancing Justice – Atlanta
- Richard Mui, President, APIAVote-Michigan
- Laura Misumi, Executive Director and Board President, Rising Voices of Asian American Families (Michigan)
- Linda Her, Executive Director, Asian American Organizing Project (Minnesota)
- Kristina Doan, Director of Public Policy, CAPI USA (Minnesota)
- Eric Jeng, Director of Outreach for Asian Community Development Council and Deputy Director for One APIA Nevada
- Chavi Koneru, Executive Director, North Carolina Asian Americans Together
- Thoai Nguyen, CEO, SEAMAAC, Inc. (Pennsylvania)
- Nancy Nguyen, Executive Director, VietLead (Pennsylvania)
- Debbie Chen, Civic Engagement Programs Director, OCA- Greater Houston
- Alice Yi, Chair, Austin Asian Community Civic Coalition
- Chanda Parbhoo, Founder, SAAVE Texas Education Fund
- Ntxhais Chai Moua, Community Power Coalition Director, Freedom, Inc. (Wisconsin)
WHEN: Wednesday, November 18 at 12 PM ET.
WHERE: RSVP at https://apia.vote/
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Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) is a national nonpartisan organization that works with partners to mobilize Asian American Pacific Islanders in electoral and civic participation. APIAVote envisions a world that is inclusive, fair, and collaborative, and where Asian American and Pacific Islander communities are self-determined, empowered, and engaged. See our website for more information at https://www.apiavote.org/
