APIAVote and its national and local partners, including its college campus Ambassadors, across the country will celebrate this national holiday that celebrates the most basic democratic process: voting.
CONTACT: Joy DeGuzman, media@apiavote.org, 202-223-9170
Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities to Celebrate National Voter Registration Day
Washington DC — On Tuesday, September 25, APIAVote and its national and local partners, including its college campus Ambassadors, across the country will celebrate National Voter Registration Day, a holiday that celebrates the most basic democratic process: voting.
As the fastest growing minority group in the United States, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) are increasingly affected, yet left out of conversations and decisions on immigration, health care, small business, education, and other government services.
In its work to empower immigrant communities, staff, volunteers and partners of Southeast Asian Mutual Assistance Associations Coalition (SEAMAAC), one of the largest refugee-founded agencies in the Philadelphia area, will be fanning out across Philadelphia to register voters in time for the midterm elections “Voting is essential,” states Joel L. Arnold, SEAMAC’s Lead Canvasser of Civic Engagement, “because without participating in elections, people making policies that affect us won’t hear us.”
“The importance of voting cannot be understated,” says, Christine Chen, Executive Director of APIAVote. “But ahead of voting, we need the AAPI community to register to vote. With nearly a third of AAPIs speaking limited English, our partners provide a much-needed bridge to register voters to not only provide language assistance, but also cross cultural barriers. For example, our partner, New Mexico Asian Family Center is providing translators in Chinese, Spanish, Mandarin and Arabic.”
Current events are also affecting the urgency to ensure AAPI voices are heard. Chavi Koneru, Executive Director of North Carolina Asian Americans Together stated, “In North Carolina, NVRD is coming on the heels of the devastation caused by Hurricane Florence, which has made it even more pressing for the voices of AAPIs and other communities of color to be heard in this election and for us to elect representatives who will advocate for the needs of our community during these hard times.”
APIAVote’s partners are based across the country, in states that have some of the highest concentration of AAPIs such as California and New York, as well as in states where AAPIs are emerging as an important swing vote in local and national elections.
In Minnesota, Leyen Tran, Communications & Social Media Coordinator for Asian American Organizing Project states, “We want to make sure our Asian American community members have a voice in directly impacting change in their communities so that they can have better roads or have a say in who decides school curriculum.”
To learn more about National Voter Registration Day, go to NationalVoterRegistrationDay.org. To register, update or confirm your registration status, visit APIAVote.org/Register.
To learn more about AAPI voter engagement, visit APIAVote.org.
AAPI National Voter Registration Day Activities for each state:
ARIZONA
Asian Pacific Community in Action will be organizing an interactive voter registration drive with a scavenger hunt.
4:30 – 6:30pm
Dave’s Dog House Patio; 240 Orange Mall; Tempe, AZ
Media Contact: Layal Rabat, Empowerment and Advocacy Manager, layal@apaaz.org, 602-492-2302
CALIFORNIA
Asian Law Alliance, in coalition with LEAD Filipino, and Korean American Community Services, will be registering students at San Jose University
9am – 5pm, San Jose State University, 1 Washington Square, San Jose, CA
Media Contact: Nick Kuwada, Staff Attorney, nkuwada@asianlawalliance.org, 408-287-9710
Irvine Valley College APIAVote Ambassadors will be registering voters at the Student Services Center.
September 25th, 9:00am-3:00pm
Colorado
10am – 2 pm
Colorado University, Denver Commons, Larimer/Speer Blvd, 5th Floor, Denver CO
Media Contact: Giselle Rushford, Giselle.rushford@naffaa.org, 303-810-4666
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Georgetown University APIAVote Ambassadors will be hosting a curry and pie night in ICC 120 on the Georgetown campus. Students will be registering voters as the discuss the importance of civic engagement
September 25th
6:30-7:30pm
FLORIDA
Florida Asian Service Center is coordinating voter registration drives throughout the Miami area starting September 22, leading up to and during National Voter Registration Day. Media Contact: Winnie Tang, winnievhtang@aol.com, 305-981-3232
September 22
- Citizenship Drive and Korean Business Canvassing, 12 – 3:00 pm, Lauderhill Mall – Korean Businesses, Lauderhill, FL, Citizenship Drive and Korean Business Canvassing
- 2018 Mid-Autumn Festival Concert, 7 – 9:30 pm, Miami Dade College – Kendall Campus, Miami, FL
- Monthly Organizational Meeting, 9 – 10:00 pm, Owerri Association, Tamarac, FL
- Monthly Organizational Meeting, 10:30 – 11:00 pm, Orlu Association, Miramar, FL
September 23
- 2018 Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration, 12 pm – 4 pm, On Leong Chinese Merchant Association, Miami, FL
September 25
- NVRD Canvassing, 11 am – 3 pm, Canvassing various Chinese / Indian restaurants/businesses in Broward and Miami-Dade County
University of Central Florida APIAVote Ambassadors will be tabling and registering voters at their Free Speech Lawn
September 25th, 10:00am-2:00pm
GEORGIA
Center for Pan Asian Community Services will coordinate voter registration drives at its main and satellite offices, Atlanta-area high schools, and at the Five Points MARTA Station.
Media Contact: Victoria Huynj, Vice President, Victoria.huynh@cpacs.org, www.icpacs.org
9am – 5pm
CPACS Main Office, 3510 Shallowford Road NE, Atlanta, GA
CPACS COSMO, 6185 Buford Hwy, Bldg. G, Norcross, G
CPACS Gwinnett Office, Gwinnett Place Mall, FL2, 2100 Pleasant Hill Road Suite 242, Duluth, GA
Chamblee Charter High School, 3688 Chamblee Dunwoody Rd, Chamblee, GA
North Gwinnett High School, 20 Level Creek Rd NW, Suwanee, GA
Five Points Marta Station, 30 Alabama St SW, Atlanta, GA
Independence High School, 791 Mimosa Blvd, Roswell, GA
HAWAII
Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement and its coalition members will be coordinating voter registration drives in high schools throughout the state with the theme, “Voting is my Kuleana (Responsibility)”
Media Contact: Kuhio Lewis, kuhio@hawaiiancouncil.org, 808 596-8155
INDIANA
University of Notre Dame APIAVote Ambassadors along with the League of Women Voters South Bend will be hosting an event where civic, academic and student leaders will discuss citizenship and voting while also registering voters at the Civil Rights Heritage Center, 1040 W Washington St, South Bend, IN, September 25th, 4:00-8:00pm
MASSACHUSETTS
Chinese Progressive Association Boston, as part of the Asian Pacific Islander Action Network (APIs CAN) will be hosting a press conference and voter registration drives.
10am – 12pm Asian Community Development Corporation & Greater Malden Asian American Community Coalition Voter Registration, Malden Public Library, 36 Salem Street, Malden, MA
12pm Chinese Progressive Association Press Conference and Voter Registration, Chinatown Gate, Boston, MA
Asian American Resource Workshop Voter Registration, Fields Corner, Dorchester, MA
Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association Voter Registration, Cambodian Town, Lowell, MA
Amherst University APIAVote Ambassadors will be tabling to register voters and handing out Asian snacks at the Keefe Campus Center
September 25, 5:00pm-8:00pm
MICHIGAN
Michigan State University APIAVote Ambassadors will be tabling at the Student Services building on campus
September 25, 2:00pm-7:00pm
MINNESOTA
Asian American Organizing Project and CAPI USA, in coalition with Ignite Minnesota Asian Power and in partnership with MN State Voices, will host voter engagement and registration throughout the Twin Cities, fromthree main headquarters and nine Hot Spot locations. Media Contact: Leyan Tran, leyen@aaopmn.org, 612-377-2561
8am – 8pm
Headquarters:
- Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, 451 Lexington Parkway, St. Paul, MN
- Episcopal Church, 1101 West Broadway Avenue, Minneapolis, MN
- YWCA Minneapolis Midtown, Minneapolis, MN
Hot Spots:
- Ha Tien Supermarket (Suburban Ave)
- Sun Foods (University Ave)
- Hmong Village
- Dragon Star (Minnehaha Ave)
- Concordia University
- University of Minnesota (APARC Office)
- North Hennepin Community College
- Osseo Area Schools Adult Basic Education (Brooklyn Blvd)
- Summit Academy OIC
MISSOURI
OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates, St. Louis Chapter is partnering with The Center for Service and Community Engagement at St. Louis University to register students to vote, and will be coordinating other voter registration and engagement activities throughout the week.
10am – 4pm, St. Louis University, Center for Service and Community Engagement
Media Contact: Tom Bergan, tom.bergan@slu.edu
NEVADA
Asian Community Development Council will be partnering up with local governments, businesses, and high school teachers to visit classrooms throughout the Clark County School District to discuss the importance of having their voices heard, and to register students to vote. In addition, ACDC will be partnering with Caesars to register their staff at their corporate headquarters.
7am – 2pm High School Visits, Clark County, NV
10am – 1pm NVRD at Caesars Entertainment Headquarters, 1 Caesars Palace Drive, Las Vegas, NV
10am – 4pm Seafood City, 7250 Arroyo Crossing Parkway, Las Vegas, NV
4 – 6pm When We All Vote with Michelle Obama, Chaparral High School, 3850 Annie Oakley Drive, Las Vegas, NV
Media Contact: Cournhi Bo, Senior Manager of Civic Engagement, courtnhi@acdcnv.org, 702-489-8866
NEW JERSEY
Princeton University APIAVote Ambassadors will be tabling and handing out cookies on their campus at the Frist Campus Center.
September 25th, 6:00-9:00pm
Rutgers University APIAVote Ambassadors will be registering voters and handing out bubble tea at College Avenue.
September 25th, 10:00am-12:00pm
NEW MEXICO
New Mexico Asian Family Center National Voter Registration Day will involve tabling at the University of New Mexico (UNM) Southeast Heights Center for Family & Community Health. Language assistance will be available for a range of languages, including but not limited to Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Spanish, and Vietnamese.
September 25, 2018, 9am – 12pm, 1 – 3pm
Media Contact: Annie Leming, Civic Engagement Coordinator anni@nmac.org, 505-717-2877
NEW YORK
MinKwon Center for Community Action will be focus on engaging ethnic media to help kick-off and raise the visibility of National Voter Registration Day. Confirmed participants include Queens Library of Flushing, Asian Americans for Equality, Homecrest Community Services, Inc., United Chinese Association of Brooklyn, City Council Member Peter Koo (20th District)
11:00 AM, Queens Library at Flushing, 41-17 Main Street, Flushing, NY
Media Contact: John Park, Executive Director, john.park@minkwon.org, 718-460-5600
Binghamton University APIAVote Ambassadors will be hosting Ramen and Registration at Mohawk Great Room on Campus. Attendees will get to pick from 4 different packs of ramen while they learn about voter education, Asian Americans in the US, civic engagement and register to vote.
September 25th, 7:00pm
NORTH CAROLINA
North Carolina Asian Americans Together is coordinating a week of voter registration activities that started with the Dragon Boat Festival this past weekend and will continue with community canvassing in partnership with NALEO (National Association of Latino Elected Officials). On NVRD, NCAAT will be holding voter registration drives all day at UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke University, NC State and UNC-Greensboro, along with a community drive run by its high school youth leaders.
Media Contact: Chavi Koneru, Executive Director, chavi@ncaatogether.org, 919-322-8258
Appalachian State University APIAVote Ambassadors will be tabling and registering voters at their Student Union.
September 25th, 12:00pm-6:00pm
Duke University APIAVote Ambassadors will be hosting Ramen and Registration at Duke University West Campus
September 17, 2018, 4:00-6:00pm
Duke University APIAVote Ambassadors along with other campus organizations will be hosting a National Voter Registration week where they will be tabling and registering voters throughout the whole week.
September 24-September 27th, 10:00am-4:00pm at BC Plaza
6:00pm-8:00pm in front of the Marketplace
UNC-Chapel Hill APIAVote Ambassadors will be registering voters at the UNC Lenoir Dining Hall and Chase Dining Hall.
September 24th and September 25th 10:00am-4:00pm, 6:00pm-8:00pm
September 26th and September 27th 10:00am-4:00pm
OREGON
Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO) is partnering with the Bus Project for a full day of community outreach and registration from its headquarters in the Jade District, one of the most racially diverse neighborhoods in Oregon.
9am – 7pm
Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon, 2788 SE 82nd Avenue, Suite 203, Portland, OR
Media Contact: Robin Ye, Lead Political Director, robin@apano.org, 971-269-2347
PENNSYLVANIA
SEAMAAC National Voter Registration Day will involve tabling at the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, Temple University, South Philadelphia Library. Interested volunteers can contact Joel L. Arnold at jarnold@seamaac.org
11am – 7pm
Media Contact: Thaoi Nguyen, CEO, nguyen@seamaac.org, 215-467-0690
University of Pittsburg APIAVote Ambassadors will be tabling and registering voters at the Towers Lobby.
September 25th, 10:00am-3:00pm
RHODE ISLAND
Center for Southeast Asians is welcoming neighbors, friends, clients and community members to their office to register to vote.
9am – 5pm
Center for Southeast Asians, 270 Elmwood Avenue, Providence, RI
Media Contact: Kannyka Pouk, Director of Programs, kannyka.pouk@cseari.org, 401-274-8811
TEXAS
Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs – Austin Chapter will be working with the Austin Community College District to register voters at its multiple campuses throughout Travis County. To volunteer or for more details, on specific times and locations visit here.
Media Contact: Alice Yi, aliceyi@icloud.com, 916-928-9988
OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates, Houston Chapter will be registering voters at the University of Houston, Main Campus and at the Houston Community College West Loop Campus
Media Contact: Debbie Chen, debbiechen13@gmail.com, 262-505-7183
University of Texas at Austin APIAVote Ambassadors will be hosting Pocky and Politics at Speedway at the UT Austin campus. Attendees will be playing trivia, snacking on Pocky and registering to vote
September 25th, 4:00pm-8:00pm
UTAH
National Tongan American Society will be hosting several voter registration events across the Salt Lake City, Utah area on September 25:
Media Contact: O.Fahina Tavake-Pasi, Executive Director, fahina@ntasutah.org, 801-467-8712
- 9am – 5pm, National Tongan American Society Office, 3006 S West Temple, Unit H, Salt Lake City
- 10am – 3pm, Kearns High School, 5525 S Cougar Lane, Kearns, UT
- 10am – 3pm, Granger High School, 3690 S 3600 West, West Valley City, UT
- 10:30am – 9:30pm, Moki Hawaiian Grill, 4836 S Redwood Road, Taylorsville, UT
- 11am – 9pm, Pacific Seas Restaurant, 1151 S Redwood, Salt Lake City, UT
- 6-8pm, An Evening with Political Candidates, Salt Lake County Government Center, South Building, Lobby area, 2001 S State Street, Salt Lake City, UT
VIRGINIA
National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) Capital Region will register voters through Northern Virginia, including at Filipino Global Supermarket, Global Supermarket, Manila Oriental Market, and The Block.
11am – 7pm
Media Contact: Jason Tengco, Executive Director, jason.tengco@naffaa.org, 202-803-1353
University of Virginia APIAVote Ambassadors will be registering voters at the. Newcomb Dining Hall
September 25th
6:00-9:00pm
WASHINGTON
Asian Counseling and Referral Service will be registering voters throughout the day at their headquarters. Language assistance in a variety of languages will be provided to ensure all eligible voters will be able to participate in the November elections.
9am – 5pm
Asian Counseling and Referral Services; 369 Martin Luther King Jr Way South, Seattle Washington
Media Contact: Joseph Shoji Lachman, Civic Engagement Program Manager, JosephL@acrs.org, 206-774-2436
WISCONSIN
University of Wisconsin-Madison APIAVote Ambassadors will be tabling at their library mall and registering voters
September 25th
12:00pm-3:00pm
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APIAVote is a national nonpartisan organization that works with partners to mobilize Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in electoral and civic participation. www.apiavote.org
