18 MILLION RISING is a cool name, right?
The group has launched an indiegogo campaign to help immigrant voters with translation services via an ap called VoterVOX.
According to their project description, 18MR's funding goal of $50,000 is entirely committed to building a basic version of VoterVOX to test this November, and propel us towards rapid iteration during the 2016 primary season.
When 18MR launched in September 2012, there were approximately 18 million Asians and Pacific Islandersin the United States, representing nearly 6 percent of the total population and growing faster than any other racial group (!) Hence, the cool name!"We know tech is complicated and humans are unpredictable. We’ll be hosting workshops across the country starting now to gather user input from potential users on both sides of the translation bridge. If we start with the knowledge and needs of our community from the outset, we can roll out VoterVOX for the 2016 Presidential election in a way that models true accessibility from the ground up."
18MR believes in democracy and the power of the ballot. That's why they've taken on the task of helping Asian-American voters. Asian/Americans remain one of the most politically under–organized, under–engaged, and under–represented constituencies: only 55percent of Asian-American citizens of voting age are registered to vote -- the lowest rate of all races.
Christina M. Samala (known simply as Samala) became 18MR.org's Founding Director after three years as The Story of Stuff Project's Director of Online Strategy & Media. Prior to that, she spent a decade as a brand strategist and designer for social impact organizations. Samala is a Bay Area based, New York raised, first generation Filipina/American. She is well-versed with start-up projects, savvy with technology as a tool for social and environmental good, and a nerd for all things social media. Samala is an alumna of the Wharton and Annenberg Schools of the University of Pennsylvania.
18MR is based in Oakland, CA but staff members live on the Internet. 18MR.org was founded to promote Asian/American Pacific Islander civic engagement, influence and movement by leveraging the power of technology and social media. That's what I love with the younger brand of Asian/American activists, they've grown up with the new technology and they use it without a second thought. Distance is not a barrier. Communication and coordinating can be so much more widespread with a simple touch of a button. That's power.
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