On October 11, 2018, a coalition of Asian and Pacific Islander (API) community organizations will host the 6th annual API Candidates and Issues Forum. The forum will start at 6 p.m. with light dinner served starting at 5:30 PM at Asian Counseling and Referral Service at 3639 MLK Jr. Way South.

Established in 2012, the API Candidates and Issues Forum’s goal is to “provide an educational, nonpartisan forum for API civic engagement where electoral candidates and initiatives are treated fairly and provided with equal time to respond to questions on issues that are important to our API communities.” Initiatives and electoral races are considered for the forum when they affect API communities.

At this time, one initiative and two electoral races are confirmed for the API Candidates Forum:

1. Initiative 1631 – The Protect Washington Act.
Also known as the Carbon Emissions Fee and Revenue Allocation Initiative, the Voter’s Guide states “[t]his measure would charge pollution fees on sources of greenhouse gas pollutants and use the revenue to reduce pollution, promote clean energy, and address climate impacts, under oversight of a public board.”
Examples of highly affected API communities include Chinatown ID with the worst air quality in Seattle, and Beacon Hill with challenging air and noise pollution health impacts from roads and airplanes.

2. US Congressional Race District 7: Rep. Adam Smith v Sarah Smith. District 7 covers Puget Sound Region, Tacoma and Bellevue.

3. WA State Senate Race District 37: Sen. Rebecca Saldana v Beth Broadway. District 37 covers Beacon Hill, Central District, Rainier Valley, Columbia City, Rainier Beach and Renton.

For nonpartisan information on the 2018 candidates and issues, please refer to the official King County Voter’s Pamphlet, which will be mailed out on October 16. For more information, please refer to the King County Elections website: https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/elections/how-to-vote/voters-pamphlet.aspx

We ask that community members make sure to mail in their ballots by November 6 or drop them off at their nearest ballot box. Locations of drop boxes are listed at https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/elections/how-to-vote/ballots/returning-my-ballot/ballot-drop-boxes.aspx