The Power of the AAPI Vote 🌸: Meet Christine Chen
Christine Chen is the co-founder and Executive Director of Asian Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote), a leading nonpartisan organization dedicated to engaging, educating, and empowering Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to amplify their voices and create significant impact.
What inspires you to show up and engage in getting our communities registered and ready to vote?
Growing up in central Ohio and attending Ohio State University in the late 1980s, I experienced firsthand the lack of representation for the AAPI community in media, government, and grassroots organizations. This motivated me to find my voice as a student organizer, advocating for resources to support Asian American studies programs and working in coalition with other students of color and allies to address racial issues and hate incidents.
While we’ve made progress, our AAPI communities still lag in voter participation, elected officials, appointees, and community-based advocacy organizations. History has shown how AAPIs can become scapegoats during times of crisis or economic competition with Asian nations. From the racially-motivated murder of Vincent Chin in the 1980s to the post-9/11 targeting of South Asians and Muslims to the recent COVID-19 hate, our community’s rights and safety remain vulnerable without sustained civic engagement. Despite our growing numbers, we risk losing hard-won gains if we don’t continue increasing AAPI participation in the political process. Ensuring our voices are heard through voting is crucial to shaping an equitable future.
How do you encourage open discussion about the importance of voting and civic engagement, especially when working within the AAPI community?
It starts with listening to and understanding the issues weighing heavily on the minds of friends, family members, and the local community. What causes anxiety, and what are the top concerns? By understanding their motivating issues, you can connect the dots between those matters and the stakes in the election.
Often, it’s about helping people realize the power of their vote in not just presidential and federal elections but also crucial local and down-ballot races that directly shape their communities. Culturally competent communication is key, as is meeting people where they are with relatable examples and trusted messengers from within their communities.
I envision a community where voting and advocacy are not periodic acts but integral to affirming our American identity, keeping our democracy thriving, and building sustained political power.
The voices of young voters will be huge in this year’s election. What message do you have for our AAPI youth who may be skeptical about the impact of their vote?
To AAPI youth who may be skeptical: Your voices and votes have tangible power to impact close races, shape priorities, and drive representation that reflects your communities’ direct needs. We have seen this in elections repeatedly, especially when it comes to local and down-ballot initiatives, which can often be decided by just a handful of votes.
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month often opens discussions around the ongoing challenges the AAPI community has faced and continues to face today. How can we continue these conversations beyond May?
While AAPI Heritage Month provides an important spotlight, elevating AAPI voices and addressing our community’s challenges must be sustained year-round. There are many ways to continue these conversations beyond May, including forging partnerships with local AAPI organizations and other allies who advocate for our communities. This advocacy can range from increasing language access and incorporating AAPI history into K-12 education curricula to supporting and amplifying the work of AAPI creators and artists who share our experiences.
More importantly, allies must be proactive in creating space and opportunities for members of the AAPI community to participate meaningfully in civic processes year-round, not as an afterthought. By consciously making room at the table for AAPI perspectives, allies ensure our voices directly shape how political power and influence are built and used.
What changes do you hope to see through your work regarding voting, community engagement, and the empowerment of AAPI voices as we head into the 2024 presidential election?
Ultimately, my goal is for our civic engagement efforts to foster an enduring culture of participation among AAPIs. I envision a community where voting and advocacy are not periodic acts but integral to affirming our American identity, keeping our democracy thriving, and building sustained political power. For many Asian immigrants who have benefited from American democracy, sustained participation is as important as preserving and refining it to live up to its promised ideals. Without the involvement of all communities, including AAPIs, democracy is no longer truly representative. Our work empowers a surge of new AAPI voters who feel their voices matter in shaping the country’s future.
What about our community brings you joy?
I find joy in the AAPI community’s perseverance and optimism despite our obstacles. Traveling across the country and meeting local community members who have recently become involved in mobilization efforts around an issue or election inspires me. These small successes throughout the year sustain me. I am also energized by the incredible promise and leadership I see in AAPI youth today, whose activism and voices will shape our communities for generations.
There are no off years in democracy, so join us as we stand up for voting rights. You can get started today by registering to vote (weall.vote/register), texting three friends (weall.vote/check), or by taking action (weall.vote/take-action).
