Within the cavernous Capitol Rotunda, the Utah Asian Chamber of Commerce rallied Tuesday to pump up minority participation at the polls.
With a who's who of Utah's political hierarchy attending - Senate President John Valentine, Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon - the chamber urged the Asian community to speak louder than ever on Election Day.
"Democracy is not a spectator sport," chamber President Ze Min Xiao said. "You have to participate in order to get back."
The chamber has earmarked $2,000 for an aggressive get-out-the-vote campaign that has engaged Asian student associations at the University of Utah, Westminster College and Salt Lake Community College.
It's a campaign not only to enhance the Asian community's political influence at the polls - Asians represent 2 percent of Utah's population - but also to encourage minorities to run for office or take an active role in government...
