During the past several elections, we’ve heard a lot about Latino voters and how candidates are trying to win their support. But why is it that we hear so little about Asian-American voters? According to the Census, both groups grew by 43 percent between 2000 and 2010. And Asian and Pacific Islanders vote at roughly the same rate as Latinos. Of those registered to vote, 86 percent cast ballots in the last presidential election compared to 84 percent of Latinos.
And yet, according to a recent survey, only 23 percent of Asian Americans polled said they’d been contacted by the Democratic Party in the past two years and only 17 percent said they’d been contacted by the GOP. In the overall population, that number is generally between 30 percent and 40 percent. Christine Chen is here to talk about these statistics, and what might change them. Chen is the Acting Executive Director for Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote. Tony Nam is an Asian American in Queens, New York who has never voted in a national election.
The story you just read is available to read for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, the reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
When you make a gift of $10 or more a month, we’ll invite you to a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of our newsroom to thank you for being with The World.