September 27, 2016
Contact:
Illinois: Nayoung Ha (KRCC), nayoung@chicagokrcc.org
California: Nara Kim (KRC), nara@krcla.org
Virginia/National: SaeHee Chun (NAKASEC), schun@nakasec.org
NAKASEC, KRC, and KRCC Register New Voters to Celebrate NVRD
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, the National Korean American Service and Education Consortium (NAKASEC), Korean American Resource & Cultural Center (KRCC), and Korean Resource Center (KRC) are registering hundreds of new voters in Virginia, Illinois, and California as part of National Voter Registration Day (NVRD) to ensure that Korean American, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI), and immigrant voices are counted in every local, state, and national election.
In California, KRC registered voters entering and exiting from the Naturalization Ceremonies at the Los Angeles Convention Center on September 22nd. This fall, KRC has also partnered with a youth-led movement called the LA Youth Vote. High school students were trained to become Voter Outreach Coordinators on their campuses across the South Bay to the San Fernando Valley and administered civic engagement activities. On NVRD, KRC and the LA Youth Vote are organizing voter registration drives at various high schools and delivering a press conference at St. Francis High School with the California Secretary of State, Alex Padilla, and KRC high school volunteer, Averi Suk. In Orange County, youth are registering voters at the University of California at Irvine.
In Illinois, KRCC has been actively registering voters at Korean churches, community events, and at local universities and colleges. Today, KRCC is registering voters at Korean markets and the University of Illinois at Chicago throughout the day with 20 community and Asian American student volunteers.
In Virginia, NAKASEC is registering voters at Northern Virginia Community College’s Annandale campus, George Mason University, and the East Falls Church metro station.
NAKASEC Executive Director Dae Joong Yoon, KRC Los Angeles Director Joon Bang, and KRCC Executive Director Inhe Choi shared the following statement: “Every year, we are amazed by the dedication of our volunteers, youth, and partners across the nation committed to getting out the immigrant vote. We thank everyone for their hard work and enthusiasm to make integration of communities of color into our country’s policymaking process a reality. As we experience growing pervasive anti-immigrant and racist sentiments, it is now more critical than ever that everyone who is eligible to vote registers and casts their ballots to support our families and communities.”
