Young Asian Pacific Americans looking for entertainment when they tune into MTV will discover they are the targets of two new public-service announcements urging them to register and vote on Nov. 2. The pieces feature Kelly Hu, Maggie Q, Ming Na, Russell Wong, Tamilyn Tomita and John Cho.

Charlie Woo, chairman of CAUSE (Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment) in Los Angeles, said the 30-second spots feature Asian American actors portraying "space warriors in a futuristic setting. There is a fight scene, and the announcement concludes with the statement: ‘Asian Americans are the least likely to vote. We can change that if you will go out and vote!’"

The idea for this "Get Out the Vote" commercial was hatched last April at the Committee of 100’s national conference in Pasadena, Calif. Many of the members and participants were gathered at the home of East/West Bank chairman and CEO Dominic Ng. Woo and Hu, who had emceed the group’s gala banquet, were chatting and eating. Woo pointed out to Hu that it was a challenge to encourage APAs to get out and vote. He suggested to the young actress (whose film credits include X-Men, X-2 and Cradle 2 the Grave) that a public-service announcement be put together to help accomplish this goal, especially among young people. A few days later, Hu called Woo to say she agreed and would help get the ball rolling.

"According to a poll following the 2000 presidential election, only 34 percent of young Asian Americans indicated they voted," Woo observed. "Caucasians and African Americans in the same age group ranked in the 40 percent range. Asian Americans lag behind. I think this is [due to] a lack of motivation. These same people are technology-savvy. A majority of this group is probably more interested in computers and entertainment than the other media, so that’s why MTV is so important."

CAUSE helped to raise $4,000 in production costs. The actors, actresses, stunt performers, writers and 30 technicians volunteered their time and talent. Leo Chu persuaded MTV to air the announcements as part of its "Choose or Lose Campaign" and co-produced the commercial with Hu and writer/ director Mark Allen.

The announcements can also be viewed on select local TV stations across the country and at two websites, www.leastlikely.com and causeusa.org.