OUR WORK
Bringing Change
Voter access and education
Our right to vote and civic participation
Who can vote?
Run for office
Immigrant questions about voting
We will form alliances and strategic partnerships with organizations in the state to ensure an increase in the range of services offered and expand APIO’s reach to increase impact.
Our work will focus on promoting Social Welfare in the whole community by promoting programs, services, and initiatives.
1. Voter access and education
One Step at a Time
Voter access and education. We will have a continuous engagement to ensure that voters have access to all information and education required to make the correct decision. Ongoing dialogue with voters would help us understand voters' concerns and preferences long before election.
Stop the purging of AAPI voters from polls during elections.
Many times, the purging of AAPI votes from polls is due to their last names being common.
This can be prevented by educating constituents about the importance of registering to vote and giving precise information to the local election board.
2. Our right to vote and civic participation.
Helping The Community
We need to make sure new voters are registered. Voter registration is the most critical component of voters' rights, and we need to make sure voters’ right information is available by arranging participative meetings with voters and with the legal experts.
The AAPI electorate has long been marginalized and downplayed by mainstream politicians, media, and cultural influencers. Our voices should be listened to. Our world continues to grow smaller and more interdependent, and we have much to contribute to addressing emerging challenges and shared risks that our nation and world face. In addition, although our diverse communities have differences on many particular issues such as overseas geopolitics and cultural preferences, we can stand with unity and in solidarity with other communities on shared vital principles like the social and economic value of equal rights and opportunities in our multicultural but united nation.
3. Who Can Vote?
Reinforcing our Commitment
While only naturalized and US-born citizens over the age of 18 can vote, there are a large number of green card holders that are AAPI that may prove to be a vital voter group in the future.
We should attempt to help newly naturalized AAPI citizens register to vote and inform them about political candidates on the local, state, and national level.
Support AAPI's to run for office
One Step at a Time
AAPI candidates should position themselves by running in local and municipal elections. It has been proven that the AAPI population has a critical mass, especially in a “swing state” like ours, and we should take full advantage of our strength and capabilities in the next elections.
Our support for AAPI candidates will include, training on fundraising, running a successful campaign, conducting AAPI candidate forums, and connecting them to the community.
5. Immigrant Questions
One Step at a Time
Many Asian and Pacific Islander immigrants and newly naturalized citizens tend to avoid politics because of their lack of understanding of English. APIO will create steps to register to vote in many different Asian and Pacific Islander languages for eligible immigrants.
Education on how the American and North Carolinian governments are structured (and how they are different from what immigrants may know from their countries of origin), including the roles of the different branches of government, the different roles of federal, state, and local governments, and how they impact our everyday lives.
Education on the various rights guaranteed by federal and state law, such as the federal Bill of Rights, civil rights that protect minorities, and (in the NC constitution) the right to an education.
Develop and implement workshops and training sessions to generate awareness of issues/concerns in respect to the various communities such as Anti-Asian and Anti-Black campaigns, economic disparities/challenges, cultural barriers.
Meet elected State and Federal elected officials as and when needed for making them aware of our concerns.