May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM). In celebration, Arizona Public Media aired
PBS’s 3- part series, Asian Americans, exploring the impact, contributions, and challenges of Asian
Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) on our country’s political, economic, labor, and social justice
history. Stream it at https://www.pbs.org/show/asian-americans/ to learn more.
Did you know that AAPIs are the fastest-growing group of eligible voters? Did you know that recent
data show that LD 9 is home to the 5 th largest number of AAPI voters in the state?
The Arizona AAPI population has increased by an estimated 157% since the last census. From
2012-2018 the AAPI eligible voter population grew by 47% compared to 13% for the rest of the
state. So, with the coming elections, Arizona’s AAPIs can play a significant role in turning AZ Blue.
Voter contact continues to be an unmet need for AAPIs. In the 2018 Asian American (AA) Voter
Survey, 50% of AAs received no contact or were unsure if they received contact about the election
from either Democrats or Republicans. So, the AZ AAPI Democratic Party Caucus is actively
working to contact more potential AAPI voters to inform and educate them about voter engagement,
voter registration, PEVL, GOTV, candidate support, and other Democratic Party activities.
In LD9, several of our PCs are leaders of the AZ AAPI Democratic Party Caucus. Sylvia Lee (State
Chair), Ceci Lou Alter (Social Media), Lori Tochihara (Treasurer), and Naomi Story (Vice Chair, S.
Arizona). Please contact Sylvia Lee at [email protected] or Naomi Story at
[email protected] if you or anyone you know wants to join our Caucus and be part of the Blue
Tsunami or to know more about AAPIs in Arizona.