APRIL 28, 2008

MEDIA ADVISORY

ATTN: POLITICAL EDITORS /// DAYBOOK EDITORS

MEDIA CONTACT: Naomi T. Tacuyan / 202.460.2644 / Naomi@apiavote.org

 

APIAVOTE TO HOST HISTORIC PRESIDENTIAL TOWN HALL:

PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES INVITED TO DISCUSS ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER (AAPI) ISSUES

 

IRVINE, CA—Over 2,500 AAPIs nationwide will attend the first ever APIAVote Presidential Town Hall on May 17^th. APIAVote has invited Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator Barack Obama, and Senator John McCain to discuss issues and policies important to AAPI communities.

 

WHAT:       First Asian American Pacific Islander Presidential Town Hall

Hosted by: Asian Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote), in conjunction with the 9^th Annual Convention of the National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development (National CAPACD).

WHY:               To provide an unprecedented opportunity for presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John McCain to discuss their views, positions, and proposals on issues affecting AAPIs.

 
            WHEN:            Saturday, May 17, 2008, 3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

WHERE:         Bren Events Center, University of California at                                                 Irvine           

Mesa Road and West Peltson Drive, Irvine, CA 92617

*Simulcast in selected cities and venues. Please see website for updates.                  

WHO:              (INVITED) Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Senator Barack Obama (D-IL), Senator John McCain (R-AZ)

 

AAPIs are the fastest growing minority in the country. With more than 14.4 million Asian Americans and approximately 1 million Pacific Islanders, AAPIs make up more than 5% of the U.S. population. AAPIs are concentrated in Hawaii, California, Washington, New Jersey, Illinois, and New York, and also within the metro regions of Nevada, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Ohio, Massachusetts, and Louisiana. AAPIs can make possible powerful voting blocs if harnessed and courted. Nationally, nearly 7 million AAPIs are eligible to vote, and over half are registered, an increase from a 30% registration rate from 1998. Nearly 3 million AAPIs voted in the 2004 elections.

 

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. Please visit http://www.apiavote.org for more information. National CAPACD is the first national advocacy organization dedicated to addressing the community development, organizing, and advocacy needs of the diverse and rapidly growing AAPI communities nationwide. Please visit www.nationalcapacd.org for more information.