LA County’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Voters Reminded Ballots Arriving Now
Los Angeles, CA: Asian American and Pacific Islander communities – and their votes – matter! That was the clear message sent by AAPI Equity Alliance when elected officials and community leaders gathered for a virtual news conference to remind voters that ballots start arriving this week for the Primary Election on June 7.
“Our voices and our votes matter, so we need to use them,” said Nancy Yap , Executive Director, Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment (CAUSE). “This upcoming 2022 primary is particularly important. As a result of redistricting … who appears on our ballots this year may be different because the lines and the boundaries around us have shifted. This is an opportunity to educate ourselves about the candidates seeking to represent us and let them know that our voices need to be heard.”
“We want every voter to return their ballot by mail or by drop-off,” said Manjusha P. Kulkarni, Executive Director of AAPI Equity Alliance. Leading up to the virtual event, Kulkarni said she was concerned that because candidates and campaigns may not target AAPI voters with ads or direct mail, some in the AAPI communities may be unaware of the upcoming Primary Election.
“It is time to get out the AAPI vote in LA County,” Kulkarni said. “Our voices and our votes matter.”
During the press conference, Kulkarni said: “What we’ve seen during the pandemic is a significant increase in hate against our communities.” But she added that there is also a record level of activism in AAPI communities.
“Now, in terms of that civic engagement, we need our community members to vote,” she said. “I’m hopeful that when every single one of us does, that we’ll get the policies and the practices that our communities need; the resources, the investments that we deserve.”
Kulkarni and Yap were joined at the virtual press conference by Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (66th Assembly District); Assemblymember Mike Fong (49th Assembly District); Tavae Samuelu , Executive Director, Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC), and Charles Evans, Supervising Attorney, Asian Americans Advancing Justice–Los Angeles .
All encouraged AAPI voters to vote in the upcoming Primary Election, which features ballots voters can mail-in or drop-off.
L os Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman (City Council District 4) sent a video message to viewers. “Almost 200,000 of our registered LA city voters identify as AAPI in some way,” said Councilmember Raman. “Those 200,000 votes can and will determine the priorities of our city, and how we’re going to solve our most pressing challenges. In particular, some of our most densely-populated AAPI ethnic enclaves – Chinatown, Historic Filipinotown, Thai Town, and more – are going to be electing a new city council member who is going to represent them for the next four years.
All California voters will receive vote-by-mail ballots for the Tuesday, June 7 Primary Election. County election officials began mailing ballots May 9, 2022. Of the 5.6 million registered voters in LA County, about 12%, or more than 639,000, identify in some way as Asian or Pacific Islander.
If you still need to register, or need more information about where to securely drop off your completed ballot, please visit lavote.gov .
Samuelu said more than 55,000 Pacific Islanders live in Los Angeles County, but less than 3,000 of them are registered to vote. Through EPIC, she is working to make sure all eligible voters are registered for the upcoming Primary. Citing the devastating effects of the pandemic on her community, she urged everyone to register and vote. “This is the way we serve our communities,” she said. “This is the way we take care of each other.”
AAPI Equity Alliance (AAPI Equity) is a coalition of over 40 community-based organizations serving the diverse needs of the 1.5 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Los Angeles County and beyond. It is dedicated to improving the lives of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders through civic engagement, capacity building, and policy advocacy. Video of the AAPI Equity Alliance news conference is available on the organization’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AAPIEquityAlliance .
