CIVIC ENGAGEMENT & EMPOWERMENT
TOOLKIT
Get Involved. Stay Engaged. Build Community.
Step 1: Engage
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Register to Vote - A critical step in getting engaged is making sure you are registered to vote, if you are eligible. Check out our Voter Registration page here.
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Know Your Representatives - Do you know who represents you and our community's interests at the local, state, and national level? It's easy to find out, here's how:
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If you live in the City of LA, you can use this website to find your local, state, and national representatives. You can even find information on your Neighborhood Council, Community Planning Area, Census Tract, and more!
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If you live within or outside of LA County, you can use this website to find your local, state, and national representatives. You can even find information on your Supreme Court Justice and more!
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Pro Tip: Sign-up for your representatives' newsletters so you can get the latest information on upcoming events like town halls.
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Neighborhood Councils - If you live in the City of LA, participate in an upcoming Neighborhood Council (NC) meeting. NCs are the closest form of government to the people. They are advisory bodies, who advocate for their communities with City Hall on important issues like development, homelessness, and emergency preparedness. NCs are part of the City of LA government, and have annual budgets funded by taxpayer dollars.
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Complete the U.S. Census - It's your chance to shape the next 10 years! Click here to learn more about the U.S. Census before the deadline on Wednesday, September 30, 2020.
Step 2: Energize
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Become a PALAD member! - Help us continuing building our community and political infrastructure by become a member today. It's easy, click here!
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Read up! - Interested in reading about what issues impact the Filipino American community? Check out the Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies at UC Davis. They have a number of policy briefs specific for the Filipino American community.
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Other resources to add to your reading list:
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Connect with your local and statewide Democratic organizations & clubs - It's important to know and get familiar with leaders at local and statewide Democratic organizations. They host events, recruit members and volunteers, and provide trainings, especially leading up to Election Day. Most importantly, you get to connect with fellow Democrats!
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California Democratic Party (CADEM)
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Los Angeles County Democratic Party (LACDP)
- LACDP is the largest county party in the U.S., representing 2.9 million Democrats.
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LACDP has two AAPI clubs: Pilipino American Los Angeles Democrats (PALAD) and Korean American Democratic Committee (KADC).
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- LACDP is the largest county party in the U.S., representing 2.9 million Democrats.
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Step 3: Organize
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Mark Your Calendar - Make sure you don't miss any local, state, and national elections. Plan ahead, it's easy!
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California Secretary of State - Upcoming Elections
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Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk - Upcoming Elections
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Get Trained - There are numerous organizations that host trainings, including leadership academies and bootcamps for how to run for office. Here are a few to check out:
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APIs Mobilize: A non-profit organization that seeks to cultivate greater participation of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Americans in public service through educational opportunities. Programs include a college internship program, a youth leadership program, and appointed officials network.
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Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS): A national non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting Asian Pacific American participation and representation at all levels of the political process.
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Emerge - Candidate Training: In-depth training program to train Democratic women interested in running for office.
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EMILY's List - Run to Win Trainings: Provides training and resources for local and state-level progressive women candidates.
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National Democratic Training Committee: Free training for all Democrats and Progressives.
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New American Leaders (NAL): Training programs for first- and second-generation Americans who want to use their civic power.
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Host a Virtual House Party - CADEM has a goal of organizing and hosting 1,000 virtual house parties in 2020. Virtual House Parties are opportunities for our Democratic community in California to build relationships, tell our collective story, share strategy, and lay the groundwork for what must be our biggest, most effective get out the vote program ever.
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Have questions on how to get started or interested in tailoring your house party into a virtual merienda session instead? Please email us at hello@palad.org
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Step 4: Mobilize
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Any LA County resident who is a registered voter and meets the eligibility criteria may submit an application. The last day to submit an application is Tuesday, September 8, 2020.
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Side Note: Members of the 2020 California Citizens Restricting Commission have already been finalized but you can sign-up here for updates. The statewide commission is charged with redrawing California's Congressional, State Senate, State Assembly, and State Board of Equalization district lines.
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Apply to be on a PALAD Committee - We need your help and have open positions to serve on various committees, including communications, community outreach, events, legal, membership recruitment, voter registration, and voter protection. Don't see a committee you're interested in? Please email us at hello@palad.org, we are open to ideas!
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Volunteer with LACDP - Volunteer with the LACDP and learn more about helping with activities like voter registration, canvassing, phone banking, events, and more.
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Volunteer with CADEM - Volunteer with CADEM and search for volunteer opportunities near you. You can search by high-priority events and also filter by categories like GOTV, student event, Latinx community, and more.