Author: Timmy Lu

[Image: on an orange-blue gradient, art by Fernando Argosino of an empowered force of five Asian American and Pacific Islander voters, ready to take on the future. Fists are raised, a wave with a tiger propels them forward. Below, text: “VOTE (in starry text) AS A FORCE”]⁠ ⁠

2022 California Primary Election Guide

Timmy Lu

2022 California Primary Election Guide

AAPI FORCE-EF’s 2022 California Primary Election Guide provides voter information in English, Chinese, Hmong, Korean, Khmer, Lao, Punjabi, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. Visit aapiforce-ef.vote to learn more about what primary elections are for, how to vote, and to sign up to volunteer to Get Out The Vote (GOTV) with AAPI FORCE-EF and our network partners.   

Let’s use our AAPI power to VOTE AS A FORCE for a better California for all.

Download our 2-page Primary Election Guide, translated in Chinese, Hmong, Korean, Khmer, Lao, Punjabi, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. [Link]

2020 Survey of Suburban Chinese American Voters Report

Timmy Lu

2020 Survey of Suburban Chinese American Voters Report

From July 8 to August 26, 2020, a coalition of partner organizations coordinated by AAPIs for Civic Empowerment Education Fund fielded a survey in five California suburban regions with high Chinese American immigrant voter density. The results of this survey demonstrate that suburban Chinese American voters are far from a monolith and, depending on the issue, may vary across party affiliation, age, and/or nativity.

Download and read the full survey here [PDF]

****

Based on the survey results, AAPI FORCE-EF also released “Portrait of a Key Community: Chinese American Voters in California.” This infographic highlights the survey’s key findings.

Download and read the “Portrait of a Key Community: Chinese American Voters in California” infographic here [PDF]

2020 Post-Election Survey of AAPI Civic Engagement Organizations

Timmy Lu

2020 Post-Election Survey of AAPI Civic Engagement Organizations

Following one of the most historic elections in U.S. history, AAPIs for Civic Empowerment Education Fund surveyed 20 integrated voter engagement (IVE) and other community partners throughout the country to gauge Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) experiences voting during the pandemic and to assess the landscape around language barriers and the provision of language assistance to voters. “Exercising Power In a Pandemic: A 2020 Post-Election Survey of AAPI Civic Engagement Organizations” is a part of a larger effort to assess language access work in the civic engagement arena nationwide; document and raise up best practices; and ultimately cultivate greater support for efforts to tackle the problem. 

Download and read the full survey here [PDF]

Statement: Recall Election

Timmy Lu

Statement: We Celebrate our Grassroots Mobilization Efforts in the September 14 Special Election

Community Organizations Reached Thousands of AAPIs to Vote Through Field and Ethnic Media Outreach

 

October 7, 2021

Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community organizations reached and mobilized thousands of AAPIs to vote in the September 14 special election. 

 

“We did this because we needed to. We did this to protect immigrant working class AAPI communities facing anti-Asian hate crimes and a raging pandemic disproportionately affecting Pacific Islanders more than any other group in California. This campaign was about protecting our communities from a clear threat against the progressive wins we’ve had and advancing the racial, economic and environmental justice issues we are fighting for every day.” said Rozlind Silva, AAPI FORCE-EF’s Civic Engagement Organizer.

 

Our community organizing network led the state’s biggest AAPI-focused get out the vote operations as a core member of the multiracial alliance, Million Voters Project (MVP) which mobilized AAPI, Latinx, Black, and Youth voters across the state. In the four weeks since MVP and AAPI FORCE-EF  kicked off the GOTV campaign, the groups’ community-led operation to turn out voters of color turned this recall election into a base building opportunity. 

 

Daisy Maxion, Filipino Advocates for Justice’s Civic Engagement Organizer said, “Our outreach programs expanded the electorate by making sure Asian immigrant voters understood what was at stake in this election. By not voicing our vote, we  would roll back decades of progress in protecting low-wage workers, addressing the current spike in anti-Asian violence, and making sure corporations pay their fair share in California.” 

Outreach teams spanned the state, with get out the vote operations in Sacramento, Fresno, San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Orange County, and San Diego. Our field partners include Asian Solidarity Collective, California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative, Empowering Pacific Islander Communities, Filipino Advocates for Justice, Hmong Innovating Politics, and Orange County Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (OCAPICA). Canvassers and volunteers had direct phone and door conversations with over 6,000 Asian American and Pacific Islander voters across the state of California, with voters contacted in English, Tagalog, Hmong, and Vietnamese.

 

Through our partnership with the Secretary of State’s office, AAPI FORCE-EF and local partners also reached voters through TV, radio, print, and digital advertisements

  • Hmong Innovating Politics’ Communications Associate & Language Specialist spoke about the importance of voting on KBIF 900AM Hmong Radio and Hmong TV Network.

  • Shared thousands of print flyers with general information about the special election and the necessary education about how ballots were distributed.

  • Translated materials that demystified the recall ballot were boosted on social media channels most used by community members. 

 

Every conversation made a difference. With voters, our network of passionate phone bankers and door-to-door canvassers emphasized that everyone in California should earn fair wages, have clean air and water, live in a safe, affordable home and be able to care for our families. We let them know that their votes would decide the future of California.

By making sure our neighbors and peers filled out their ballots, we empowered ourselves to keep us safe and protect the progress our movement has made to protect immigrant, refugee, and working class communities. 

About AAPI FORCE-EF

AAPI For Civic Empowerment Education Fund is a network of Asian American and Pacific Islander organizations across California dedicated to strengthening and expanding democracy, while growing the political participation of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Steering committee organizations include Asian Pacific Environmental Network, Chinese Progressive Association, Filipino Advocates for Justice, Hmong Innovating Politics, Khmer Girls in Action, and Pilipino Workers Center. Our partner organizations include Asian Solidarity Collective,  Asian Youth Center, AYPAL, CA Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative, Empowering Pacific Islander Communities, Jakara Movement, OCAPICA, and South Bay Youth Changemakers.