IN COLORADO 134,909
ELIGIBLE AAPI VOTERS
4.5% AAPI SHARE
OF ELECTORATE IN STATE
253,453 AAPI POPULATION Over a third of the AAPI population in Colorado live in Arapahoe, Denver, and El Paso Counties.
AAPI voters prepare to vote in the
“most important election of our lifetime” By Annie Guo VanDan Why Colorado Asian Americans Vote “With 200,000 deaths due to COVID-19, with the racial injustice causing civil unrest nationwide, with the economy in ruins and many small businesses in danger and family separation and detention centers full of freedom seeking refugees, and with much of the country on fire and in a climate crisis, our vote is the single most powerful civil tool we have to possibly resolve any of this,” said Howard Chou, Chair of the Colorado AAPI Democrats, an initiative of the Colorado Democratic Party. “I know people get tired of hearing it
and it would seem that every election is deemed the most important, but this is truly the most important election of our lives,” he said. “It’s important for Asian Americans to vote because we decide who will represent us and our values and what laws will impact our daily lives,” said Priscilla Rahn, a registered Republican in Douglas County. “It is vital for us to know what we value and then work to put great candidates into office. If we don’t vote, our voice as a community is overshadowed by politicians who will make decisions for us.”
DNC AAPI Caucus with Julian Castro (front right), former United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and presidential candidate.
6
October 2020 | Cover Story
Stephanie Tanny speaks about the movement she led to pass her first bill in 2011, which has now allocated over $1.5 million for sexual violence survivor support services and prevention education at her alma mater, Colorado State University. For Denver community organizer Stephanie Tanny, her motivation to vote is to influence policy changes that affect communities. “I used to be extremely shy and hated public speaking. However, I realized that speaking up and sharing your truth is the only way that any changes will be made.” “Voting isn’t just about a particular seat or position, but about the bills that will be passed that will serve or harm our communities. As a community organizer and fundraiser over the past decade, I have seen the lasting effects that one small policy change can have,” said Tanny.
