Contact: Michelle Loo, [email protected]
Washington, DC - APALA is proud of the robust community outreach that resulted in the election of Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States and Kamala Harris as the first South Asian and Black Vice President of the United States. Thank you poll workers, election officials, and advocates for ensuring that every vote got counted. The will of the people have spoken and now to continue advancing the working people's agenda!
APALA Pittsburgh Chapter member and University of Pittsburgh student Naeem Aziz shares, “This was the first year I became eligible to vote and I spent months outreaching to AAPI voters in my swing state. I am invigorated because my generation has made it clear that our fight is for universal access to health care; full funding for public resources like education and transportation, COVID-19 plans that prioritizes our elders, disabled community members, caretakers and essential workers; the right to organize for all workers; and so much more. I intend to continue to fight to change America for the better.”
APALA Alameda Chapter Leader and National Executive Board member Leon Chow states, “This win truly speaks to the decades of AAPI community organizing and campaigns against voter suppression. Across the nation our communities have relied on each other for language access and have organized against an array of voter suppression tactics, such as physical intimidation at the polls, closing-down early vote locations in communities of color, and flat out spreading disinformation to voters. As someone who has been voting since 1996, I am proud of how much the power of the AAPI electorate has grown!”
APALA Michigan Chapter Leader and UAW Appointee to the National Executive Board, Sandra Engle states, “We’ve been able to connect with folks in their language and about the issues that matter most to them. AAPIs support workers’ rights; they want healthcare for all and they are some of the strongest environmental advocates we’ve got. APALA members from all across the country lended a hand to support Michigan, and we sure made it swing. These conversations, relationships, and connections have shown me just how powerful this generation of AAPI activism is. We will take root in these victories and keep building toward that better future we’re all fighting for.”
Polls are showing that Asian voters in some states have cast more ballots than they did in the 2016 election. APALA chapters and volunteers have reached out to voters more than 1 million times this year alone.