*MARYLAND DEMOCRATIC PARTY’S AAPI LEADERSHIP COUNCIL ENGAGES POLITICAL VOICE OF ASIAN AMERICANS*

Dave Wang
Phone: (410) 608-9481
dave.wang.maryland@gmail.com

Cezar Lopez
Phone: (301) 237-9687
cezar.campaign@gmail.com

*ANNAPOLIS, MD (October 12, 2010)*— The Maryland Democratic Party's Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Leadership Council is one of several Leadership Councils initiated by the Party to celebrate the strength of diversity in the State. The AAPI Leadership Council is dedicated to furthering the interests of the AAPI community in Maryland through political organization. It is a coalition of almost every ethnic group within the AAPI community that lives in Maryland.

The Council's meetings have been attended by over 200 community and political leaders, and is led by a team of dedicated Chairs: Bel Leong-Hong (External), Ngoc Chu (Internal), Jane Nishida (Membership Chair), Ram Mukunda (Communications), Ajay Gupta (Finance), Minh Le (Finance), Helen He (Grassroots), Del. Kriselda Valderrama (Honorary), Del. Kumar Barve (Honorary), and Del. Susan Lee (Honorary).

This election cycle, Directors Dave Wang and Cezar Lopez have coordinated outreach to Asian Americans across the state.

• The AAPI Leadership Council has made over 5,500 calls on behalf of Maryland Democratic Party candidates. The AAPI Leadership Council began phone banking in August 2010 as the flagship Council. Through the dedicated work of Council members and volunteers, the AAPI Leadership Council has made over 5,500 calls on behalf of Maryland Democratic Party candidates. A recent phonebanking session, on October 3, yielded 1,028 phone calls from Howard County headquarters and 637 calls from Montgomery County headquarters.

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• The AAPI Leadership Council has translated the absentee ballot instructions and application, early voting instructions, and the general election ballot into several Asian languages, including Hindi, Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean. The AAPI Leadership Council has, to date, 11 translated documents for voter outreach, including absentee ballots instructions, the absentee ballot application, early voting instructions and the general ballot application have been translated in several Asian languages. These include Hindi, Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean. All translations were made by AAPI Leadership Council members and volunteers.

• The AAPI Leadership Council has convened three campaign trainings. A campaign training on May 8, 2010 featured presentations on the essential parts of a grassroots team, technology, voter contact through canvassing and phonebanking, and Get Out The Vote operations. The campaign training on August 10, 2010, targeted high school students through Project SWAY, the AAPI Leadership Council's leadership development program. The training featured presentations on grassroots organization, voter contact through canvassing and phonebanking, and Get Out The Vote operations. On September 1, 2010, a training was conducted in volunteer recruitment and persuasion.

• The AAPI Leadership Council members hosted house parties in Baltimore City, Howard County, and Montgomery County. The house parties provided Senator Mikulksi, Lt. Governor Anthony Brown, Former Governor Parris Glendening, and O'Malley Brown campaign staff the opportunity to meet scores of influential voters who volunteer to help spread the word about the candidates, and the Democratic Party's vision for Maryland.

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For more information about the Maryland Democratic Party's Diversity Leadership Council, please visit: http://www.mddems.org/your-party/diversity-leadership-council