Keith Kamisugi

Comcast has partnered with Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) on “Our Time to Vote,” a year-long, non-partisan voter education and registration campaign designed to increase voting in Asian American and Pacific Islander communities served by the cable industry.

The outreach to the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, part of an estimated $5 million multicultural campaign, consists of four public service announcements as well as the creation and launch of two nationally available voter education resources: the ourtimetovote.com webpage and a voter information resources hotline, 1.866.544.VOTE.

One PSA , features Asian American and Pacific Islander entertainers, such as Lou Diamond Phillips, Tamlyn Tomita, John Cho, Will Yun Lee and Margaret Cho, encouraging Asian American and Pacific Islander audiences to register to vote.

The PSA was recorded at this year’s Asian Excellence Awards, and will begin airing on December 15, leading up to the 2008 primary elections in Comcast, Time Warner, Cox Communications, Inc. and Bright House Networks markets. A series of “Get out the Vote” spots will run from September 1 through November 3, 2008, just prior to the general election.

“The Asian American and Pacific Islander community is critical to the election of the next United States President and other key leaders,” said Congressman Mike Honda, Chairman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. “Supporting APIAVote and launching the ‘Our Time to Vote’ program sets an example for other private, non-profit partnerships.”

Additionally, the Comcast Foundation awarded a grant to APIAVote, a national, nonprofit organization that encourages and promotes civic participation of Asian American and Pacific Islanders in the electoral and public policy processes at the national, state and local levels.

The Comcast Foundation grant will assist APIA’s efforts to hire a director to coordinate and implement communications and outreach strategies; to operate the APIAVote toll free hotline; to respond to inquiries and to help address barriers to registration and voter education and to upgrade its website.

“APIAVote is honored to be in partnership with Comcast in 2008,” stated Christine Chen, APIAVote Executive Director. “The Comcast Foundation grant provides us with key resources to enhance our communications infrastructure, which is critical in our outreach to the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. With each election cycle, our community has become an integral part of the American electoral fabric.”