Chinese American voters

The World

Census figures say 2.4 million Chinese Americans are of voting age, but according to a recent survey, one third of Chinese-American voters are still undecided about who to vote for on November 4th.

Many of these voters are older and live in New York and California — states Barack Obama is expected to win easily and where there is little outreach going on by either campaign. So their English-speaking sons and daughters are filling the void and many of them are trying to persuade their parents to vote for Barack Obama.

"The World" host Marco Werman speaks with Yan Tai, a reporter in New York for the Chinese-language daily "World Journal" and Feet in Two Worlds, a project of The Center for New York City Affairs at The New School.

Tai says there are so many undecided Chinese American voters because: "This election started out in the Chinese American community as a rift between the younger generation, who overwhelmingly support Barack Obama; and the older generation of basically die-hard Hillary Clinton fans."

Tai also says many Chinese American voters would love to support John Mccain: "In fact, many Chinese American voters are still waiting for him to say something or do something that will convince them to cast the final vote for him. In this community, they revere McCain’s experience that comes out of his age, but still, they are worried so they are hesitating."

PRI’s "The World" is a one-hour, weekday radio news magazine offering a mix of news, features, interviews, and music from around the globe. "The World" is a co-production of the BBC World Service, PRI and WGBH Boston.

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