We are getting closer to Election Day - only 14 more days. Please help us make our voices heard! Despite being one of the fastest growing groups in the United States, the AAPI community has one of the lowest voter turnout rates of any other racial minority group. To make sure our needs are addressed, we need to show up at the ballot box. Talk to your families. Talk to your friends. Make sure they know how, when, and where to vote. Together, we can build a home that is more inclusive of all of us.
2020 has presented us with some unique challenges. The outbreak of COVID-19 has made international travel challenging, economies have been ravaged by the virus, and families are struggling to put food on the table. The Trump administration has fanned the flames of xenophobia against immigrants for his own gain. We hope, despite these challenges, you find peace of mind in the fact that the Asian American & Pacific Islander Caucus is fighting for you in every way we can.
Over the past month, our caucus has been working hard to address these issues and get out the AAPI vote. We produced informational videos about voting from abroad in a number of languages including Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Khmer, Tagalog, Thai, and others. Please help us spread this message by going to our Facebook page, our YouTube channel, Instagram, and Twitter and passing on our videos.
Voting Information
If you have not requested your absentee ballot yet, you may still be able to do so! Check your state deadlines here: www.votefromabroad.org/states. Make sure you remind friends and family, both overseas and back in the U.S. if they have done the same. We even have a helpful FAQ available to answer common voting questions.
If you have questions or issues with requesting a ballot, please attend our LIVE 1-on-1 Global voter registration assistance
- all day every Sunday
- Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 12-4pm EDT (6-10pm CEST)
- Saturdays from 2-10am EDT
You can also email [email protected] with your issues and questions.
Upcoming Events
DACA & the Election
Join the AAPI and Hispanic Caucuses for a discussion on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and what is at stake in the upcoming election. We will be joined by current and past DACA recipients, as well as organizers from immigrant-led organizations.
Tuesday, October 20, 2020
12pm Ciudad de México / 1pm DC / 6pm London / 7pm Berlin
RSVP here for Zoom link
Save the Date: First Vote Film Screening & Discussion with Filmmaker
Asian Americans are the fastest growing population in the U.S. and more than 11 million AAPI will be able to vote in 2020. In a newly released documentary, First Vote, Yi Chen follows a cross section of politically engaged Chinese American voters, all first-time voters, during the 2018 midterm elections. The AAPI Caucus is excited to announce that we will be hosting a screening for the documentary and will be speaking with Chen at an upcoming event. Our goal is to bring more awareness to the political influence of the AAPI community and discuss ways to improve voter outreach. Please help us cover the costs of the film license ($202) by making a donation to Democrats Abroad. Stay tuned for more information about the event!
Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Middle Eastern Candidates in the 2020 election
There are several AAPI candidates running for open and Republican-held seats across the United States. As we move into the final stretch of the campaign, we wanted to highlight a few of these candidates.
►Look to these races to see if the new Congress will include more Democratic AAPI politicians! (We've taken the liberty of including candidates of Middle-Eastern background to this list as well: their successes on Election Day should also be celebrated!)
Event Wrap-ups
Mid-Autumn Festival Update
The global AAPI Caucus hosted a Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration to promote AAPI culture, celebrate our accomplishments, and provide an opportunity for some much needed rest. Participants from South Korea, Germany, France, and Austria attended.
DA ROK AAPI Caucus webinar with Taneka Haewol Jennings
Democrats Abroad Republic of Korea (DAROK)'s AAPI caucus hosted a talk with Taneka Haewol Jennings about her work with the Korean-American community in Chicago. She discussed Korean-American identity, the immigration issues facing the Korean American adoptee community in particular, and Asian-American allyship to the Black Lives Matter movement. DAROK's AAPI caucus hopes to host more webinars in the future discussing Korean American history and experiences of authoritarianism versus democracy.
The AAPI Caucus is one of Democrats Abroad’s eight global caucuses. Check out the global caucuses page at www.democratsabroad.org/caucuses to see what we have and feel free to join as many as you’d like. Each one is a group with a focus on issues and lots of activities.
Democratically Yours,
Emily and Cory
Co-Chairs