Voter Education

APAs have displayed a tendency to vote by issues, as opposed to voting by party-affiliation.  An exit poll conducted by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) for the 2006 election underscores the high proportion of APA independents.  Furthermore, the exit poll demonstrated the willingness of APAs that are registered to a particular party to “cross over” and vote for a candidate from a different party, depending on the candidate’s position on issues that are important to APA voters. This provides APALA with the opportunity to engage and educate APAs regarding specific issues.  Activities for the 2008 Elections included:

1. Organized nonpartisan issue and candidate forums;

2. Sent direct mail in-language to APA households;

3. Encouraged local and mainstream media to cover APA issues; and

4. Encouraged community members to submit letters to the editor and opinion
    editorials on the importance of voter engagement.