Asian Fortune Your source for all things Asian American
By Jennie L. Ilustre
A recent survey showed that Asian American voters would turn out in record-breaking numbers, by mail or in person on November 3, for this year’s presidential election – and could potentially provide the margin of victory in some battleground states.
“Asian Americans saw a record high level of midterm election turnout in 2018,” said Karthick Ramakrishnan, a public policy professor at the University of California, Riverside and founder and director of AAPI Data.
“With a majority saying that they are even more enthusiastic than usual about this election suggests that we will see record turnout for Asian Americans for a presidential election in 2020,” he pointed out.
The Asian American Voter Survey of 1,569 Asian American registered voters was released on September 15. It was conducted by APIAVote, AAPI Data, and Asian Americans Advancing Justice/AAJC. AAPI Data is a nationally acknowledged source of demographic data and policy research on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI).
Survey: Biden over Trump
The survey, taken before the major news of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s demise and its ramifications, showed the Asian American voters preferred Democratic Party candidate Joe Biden over President Trump, 54% to 29%, with 14% still undecided. This was the major news from the survey, and the mainstream media played it up on cable and TV programs and in national and local newspapers.
The 2020 Asian American Voter Survey found most of the respondents plan to vote in the November presidential election. Asian Indian (Indian Americans) topped the list at 97%, followed by the Japanese Americans (95%), Filipino Americans (94%), Vietnamese Americans (92%), Korean Americans (91%) and Chinese Americans (88%).
In general, a little over half (54%) of those polled answered they are “More enthusiastic” when asked: “Compared to previous elections, are you more enthusiastic than usual about voting this year or less enthusiastic?”
About 6 in 10 (62%) of Filipino American voters polled said they are “more enthusiastic” this year, closely followed by Asian Indian (Indian Americans) at nearly 58%. They are followed by Japanese Americans and Korean Americans at 53%; Vietnamese Americans, 48%, and Chinese Americans, 47%. (Totals might not add to 100 due to rounding of numbers.)
Grassroots Enthusiasm
There’s no shortage of enthusiasm either, among the Democratic and Republican grassroots leaders across the country.
Gloria Caoile, a founding member of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) and its Director of Civic Engagement in Nevada, said in an email, “We’re in every state of the country!” APALA is into voter registration, issues education and voter turnout for Democratic Party candidate Joe Biden.
Vellie Dietrich Hall, a member of the National Advisory Board of 2020 Asian Pacific Americans for Trump, said their team “registered its 100,000th voter at a recent event in California, doubling the number from the 2016 presidential elections!”
No Voter Outreach
Asian Americans are the nation’s fastest growing racial group. Qualified Asian American voters grew 139% from 2000 to 2020, according to CNN. They now represent 5 percent of the total expected voters this year.
“Through this survey, we see that Asian Americans are ready to exercise their power to vote in person or by mail,” said John C. Yang, Advancing Justice – AAJC president and executive director. Half or 54% plan to vote by mail, the survey showed.
“As the Asian American electorate continues to grow, the group stands to play a significant role in political races at the national, state, and local levels,” he noted. “Yet, most Asian American voters are still reporting little to no outreach from either political party.”
APIAVote Executive Director Christine Chen likewise underscored this point: “We’ve seen voters make an impact at the polls.” But “the survey shows that more than half of voters are reporting little or no contact from either major party.”
Issues
The survey showed 2 out of 3 respondents view immigration as extremely or very important in the election. Other main issues include discrimination in America, healthcare concerns amid COVID-19 pandemic, jobs and the economy, support for affirmative action, the environment and gun control.
Janelle Wong, AAPI Data senior researcher, pointed out: “These new data demonstrate that, despite considerable diversity by ethnicity, the Asian American community is largely united when it comes to support for the social safety net, environmental protection, and gun control,” Wong is also a University of Maryland professor of American Studies Government & Politics, Asian American Studies
Asian American leaders from both parties have urged the eligible voters to make their voices count this November.
Remarked Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance co-founding member Caoile: “So much is at stake in this election, so please do not take it for granted. Please vote.”
Dietrich Hall, a member of the National Advisory Board of 2020 Asian Pacific Americans for Trump, said: “Asian Pacific Americans have great respect for our country and understand the meaning of hard work and sacrifices to live the American Dream. With that comes one of our greatest rights, the right to show representation through voting.”
