APAICS Supports the Passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
WASHINGTON, DC - On Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to address voter suppression laws that disproportionately prevent marginalized communities, including Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs) from voting. The bill is currently pending a vote in the Senate.
The Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) president and CEO, Madalene Xuan-Trang Mielke release the following statement:
“APAICS applauds the House on the passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which restores the protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The bill, which provides equitable polling locations, multilingual voting materials and requires transparency of any voting rule changes, will protect the voting rights for our community.
“The AANHPI electorate increased our voter turnout rate by more than any other racial or ethnic group in the 2016 and 2020 U.S. presidential elections, and it has been projected to increase to 12.2 million eligible voters by 2040. The passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act would safeguard our community’s voice from laws that target our growing electorate power.
“AANHPIs understand first-hand how important it is to have a voice in elections, especially as our community faces a disturbing rise in hate incidents. We cannot move backwards in suppressing the votes from communities like ours, and we call upon members of the Senate to quickly pass this necessary legislation.”
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The Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) is a national non-partisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting Asian Pacific American participation and representation at all levels of the political process, from community service to elected office.
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