Views from the Edge
Leading up to the midterm elections, there’s been a lot being written about the Asian American and Pacific Islander vote and how influential it can be in key Congressional districts and states.
“Voting is the most powerful way to have a voice in the future of your community,” said Rhea Suh, President of the National Resource Defense Council. “We want to show people how easy it is to register to vote and motivate them to exercise their right on November 6th. It’s never too late to be a first-time voter.”
Perhaps it’s no coincidence that one of the first PSAs about voter registration included three Asian Americans: Randall Park, Kumail Nanjiani and Darren Criss, because Asian Americans also have the reputation for not showing up at the polling stations. The AAPI community has the poorest turnout among voters.
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is teaming up with Funny Or Die, Park, Nanjiani and Criss along with Mandy Moore and Billy Eichner for the latest iteration of their “Glam Up The Midterms!” campaign. Together, they are releasing a new video dispelling commonly used excuses by nonvoters. The campaign will make it easy to register to vote, find the right polling site and pledge to vote in the upcoming election.
“There’s nothing more important right now than encouraging young people to vote in the Midterm Election on Nov 6th,” said Billy Eichner. “This is without a doubt the most important election of our time. That’s why I started the Glam Up the Midterms campaign with Funny or Die. I’m so grateful to NRDC for partnering with us and to Mandy Moore, Kumail Nanjiani, Darren Criss and Randall Park for joining me in our latest Glam Up video.”
To motivate participation in the midterm elections, from now until November, NRDC and Funny Or Die will engage the public through online video and social media. A recently released poll from the Public Religion Research Institute and the Atlantic showed that at this stage in the 2018 election cycle, half (50%) of Americans report that they are absolutely certain to vote in the upcoming midterm election.
NRDC was founded in 1970 by a group of law students and attorneys at the forefront of the environmental movement. Today’s leadership team and board of trustees makes sure the organization continues to work to ensure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities.
Learn more about NRDC’s efforts to get out the vote here: www.nrdc.org/vote.For more information about Funny Or Die’s ‘Glam Up the Midterms visit: http://glamupthemidterms.com/
To register to vote, go to www.nrdc.org/vote2018
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