APIAVOTE on the January
15th:
Watch, Witness, and Weigh In!
AAPI Impact on Nevada
Caucus
Unprecedented but Undervalued;
Historic Presidential Debate to
Address AAPI Issues
NATIONWIDE—APIAVote invites you to
tune into your MSNBC channel or online to watch the Presidential Democratic
Debate on minority issues. The MSNBC debate will directly address Asian
American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community issues.
Through intense lobbying by local and
national AAPI leaders, the Nevada debate will now include discussion
of AAPI-specific issues. In addition, the debate comes hot on the heels
of efforts by APIAVote and the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance
Las Vegas chapter to increase AAPI participation and to maximize the
visibility of the AAPI electorate in local and ethnic media (see links
below for media and blog coverage).
“We’ve conducted outreach to both
the Democratic and Republican parties to make them aware of the AAPI
community’s presence and growing political participation,” said
Vida Benavides, chair of APIAVote. “The Nevada caucuses are historic
in that the unprecedented AAPI vote could sway the caucus outcome, and
it is important for parties to understand that we are not going away—our
voice as a community will only get stronger.”
"AAPIs have electoral impact,"
said Daphne Kwok, APIAVote board member. "In Nevada, for the 2004
election, 63 percent of eligible voters registered to vote and 77 percent
of registered voters turned out to vote. In Clark County, 35,321 AAPIs
registered to vote; 26,464 cast ballots - voter turnout reached 75%."
APIAVote’s involvement in Nevada dates
back to 2004, when many did not realize the electoral significance of
Nevada’s growing AAPI communities. Now, a once emerging AAPI community
is a key electorate in Nevada. AAPIs are the fastest growing population
in the state’s Clark County. Asian Americans comprise 8% of the county’s
population, while Pacific Islanders are now 1% of the county’s population.
The Nevada debate leads up to the Nevada
caucus on January 19, which is the first caucus in the West, as well
as the first caucus in which AAPI participation will have significant
impact. With Nevada having the 3rd highest Pacific Islander
population and the 6th highest Asian American population,
AAPIs from across the United States will be watching this debate, particularly
AAPIs in the West headed into Super Tuesday. APIAVote encourages
all communities to continue watching upcoming Republican and Democratic
debates in order to be an informed voter during this primary season.
Watch, Witness, and Weigh in!: MSNBC
Debate Information
What: MSNBC’s
Democratic Debate in Las Vegas
Who: Sen. Hillary Clinton,
Sen. Barack Obama, former Sen. John Edwards, Democratic Presidential
Candidates
When: Tuesday, January 15, 2008
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm PST /// 9:00 pm – 11:00 pm EST
Watch: Your MSNBC Channel
Who: Tim
Russert (Meet the Press), Brian Williams (NBC Nightly News), Natalie
Morales (The Today Show)
1. WATCH the presidential
candidates debate and offer solutions to minority issues!
2. WITNESS AAPI history
in the making! Our AAPI leaders will be in the debate spin room to respond
to the candidates' answers to our questions.
3. WEIGH IN on the
debate! How has the candidates' debate answers impacted your decision
on who is the best candidate for our AAPI communities? Will the debate
have the same effect on your friends, colleagues, and families? Discuss
the first presidential debate that directly addresses AAPIs.
###
The Asian and Pacific
Islander American Vote (APIAVote) is a national non-partisan, nonprofit
organization that encourages and promotes civic participation of Asian
Pacific Islander Americans in the electoral and public policy processes
at the national, state and local levels. To learn more about APIAVote,
please visit www.apiavote.org.
NEWS ARTICLES
http://www.lvrj.com/news/13762607.html
http://www.lasvegasnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=7620457
http://www.philippinenews.com/article.php?id=1636
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/75927/Pinoys-in-Nevada-urged-to-participate-in-US-polls
BLOGS
http://www.8asians.com/2008/01/14/nevada-dont-forget-about-asian-americans/
http://feministblogs.org/tag/asian-americans/
http://www.asian-nation.org/headlines/2008/01/asian-american-political-rally-in-las-vegas/