Presidential candidates and 2,500 expected to attend
IRVINE, Calif. — APA issues and concerns will be on center stage during a May 17 UC Irvine town hall, where the three presidential hopefuls have been invited for a question-and-answer session.
Sens. Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain are expected to attend the presidential town hall hosted by the nonpartisan, nonprofit civic engagement organization APIAVote and address issues of immigration, health care, economy and other concerns of the APA community.
The main message promoted by APIAVote and other APA organizations promoting civic engagement is that the APA voting block is growing in size and stature. Almost 7 million APAs are eligible to vote, according to APIAVote, and more than half are registered. That registration rate is a 30 percent increase from 1998.
Organizers anticipate that more than 2,500 people, representing universities, nonprofits and APA community groups, will attend the town hall.
Local and ethnic media have been taking part in registering participants to the town hall. A local Vietnamese radio station will broadcast the translation of the town hall in its entirety.
More than a dozen other cities will hold local simulcasts of the event, and there will also be an electronic town hall, or an online forum, coinciding with the event.
On the day of the town hall, Congressman Mike Honda will give a keynote address followed by forums on public policy, community research and other updates on APA communities.
The town hall will be held at the Bren Events Center from 4 to 7 p.m. The candidates will each provide an opening statement and then answer questions formulated by the APIAVote board.
For more information: apiavote.org and apiatownhall.com.
