By Melissa Young, AsAmNews Intern
With the Georgia Senate runoff elections coming up Jan. 5, political organizers have been working to mobilize Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) voters in the state. Some of the busiest advocates for AAPI voter participation in Georgia aren’t even old enough to vote yet.
Asian American high school students in metro Atlanta are encouraging voter participation in their communities by creating public artwork at local Asian American businesses such as boba tea shops.
Akshadha Lagisetti, a high school senior in Atlanta, came up with the idea ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
Lagisetti is co-director of civic and creative engagement at Asian Youth for Civic Engagement (AYCE), a national youth organization that aims to increase AAPI voter turnout. She envisioned the murals as a response to the historically low voter participation rates among Asian Americans.