Get Out the API Vote

When we vote, we decide the next leaders and decision-makers, whose decisions affect our lives and our families. We have the opportunity to choose leaders who will listen to our experiences, and advocate for our needs. Asian and Pacific Islander communities have doubled over the last 20 years, and continue to grow as Oregon’s second largest racial/ethnic community. Despite our growing presence, too many in our communities experience inequities, and all of us are affected by the surge in anti-immigrant and racist comments that target communities of color. These racist, anti-immigrant sentiments are not new, and have been used as a means to deny rights like citizenship, voting, and more. That's why APANO's civic engagement work is focused on the 2016 elections, and why we're working hard to make sure our communities are fully engaged in the democratic process.

To do so, we plan to work with partners, members, and volunteers to register voters, distribute voter guides, facilitate candidate roundtables, host ballot parties and phone bank to reach 20,000 voters. We ask APANO members and supporters to take action with us, to dedicate time to volunteer three times between now and the General Election Day on November 8th. Will you dedicate 3 hours to phone bank and reach out to voters for the May 17 Primaries? We are holding two phonebanking opportunities: May 12 and May 15. To volunteer, please contact kathy@apano.org.

To illustrate the importance of API voting, and how our presence and civic engagement makes a difference, we created a visual timeline of the state of voting in the United States, as well as important demographic and voting data related to APIs in Oregon. Want to hear more about candidates before voting? Check out candidates' responses to questions APANO asked!