Asian American and Pacific Islanders Urged to Vote in California’s June Primary

LOS ANGELES – As Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM) draws to a close today, a new video released today by Asian Americans Advancing Justice and APIAVote urges Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs) to go vote in this important election year. The video features George Takei, John Cho, Constance Wu, Vincent Rodriguez III, Sonal Shah, and Joey “Q” Quenga.
“This video ties together both the importance of Asian Pacific American History Month, where we as a community reflect on our history in this country, and the upcoming elections, where we can envision the future and our role in shaping it,” said Karin Wang, Vice-President of Programs and Communications at Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles. “We are grateful for the Asian American and Pacific Islander actors and activists who contributed their time to send this critical message about the power of the vote in this particularly important election year.”  Advancing Justice also extends special thank yous to APIAVote, Imprenta Communications Group, The Great Company, and Asian Pacific American Leadership Foundation for making the video possible.In California in particular, AANHPIs have an opportunity to make a difference in many races, given the community’s rapidly growing numbers. In 2012, Asian American voters exceeded the margin of victory in 38 legislative districts across California. In 2016, AANHPI voters will comprise 11 percent of the state’s voters (1.7 million voters) and are poised to make a significant impact.

With only one week left, California voters must already be registered to vote to participate on June 7. Voter registration status can be checked online at the Secretary of State’s website. Registered voters should remember that political parties do not allow everyone to vote for their presidential candidates and all California voters should be familiar with the rules of the party they intend to vote for before casting a ballot.

Although most attention has focused on the Presidential primaries, the June 7 election will also help choose finalists for key races like California’s first open U.S. Senate seat in 24 years and decide local races and ballot measures.  For voters wanting to understand what is on their ballot, an online tool that shows local ballots based on address is available at votersedge.org/ca.

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