FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 18, 2023

CONTACT: Virginia Lucy media@napawf.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. – National Voter Registration Day will be celebrated on September 19, 2023, to create an annual moment when the entire nation focuses on registering Americans to exercise their most basic right—the right to vote. The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) is celebrating and promoting the right to vote by encouraging Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women to register to vote. 

“We want to reach Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who may not exercise their right to vote due to the lack of information or being unfamiliar with the process,” said May Thach, NAPAWF’s Florida Organizing Manager and a 1.5 generation Khmer-Krom immigrant. “National Voter Registration Day is an opportunity to remind AAPIs of the importance of civic engagement.”

In 2020, Asian American voter turnout jumped by 84% from the past presidential election. In a country where the past two elections were decided by fewer than 100,000 votes, the estimated 24 million Asian Americans will be a force for years to come.

“The increase in turnout of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community between 2016 to 2020 accounted for the margin of President Biden’s victory,” said Kristina Doan, NAPAWF’s Chief Field Officer and a second generation Vietnamese American. “Especially in Southern states where the AAPI population is growing, we are positioned to be the pivotal voting bloc to decide the future of our country.”

There are not only important state and local elections happening in 2023, but primaries for the 2024 presidential election are just around the corner. NAPAWF’s team of staff and canvassers work throughout the year to educate and engage AAPI voters, this year emphasizing the importance of municipal elections while looking towards next year’s high-stakes presidential election.  

To learn more about why it is so important for AAPI women to vote, watch the NAPAWF Why We Vote video. 

To check your voter registration status or register to vote, visit APIAVote.  

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The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) is the only multi-issue, progressive, community organizing and policy advocacy organization for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women and girls in the U.S. NAPAWF’s mission is to build collective power so that all AAPI women and girls can have full agency over our lives, our families, and our communities.