Asian American Voters’ Rising Impact on US Elections

The 2024 US presidential election is underway. According to the Pew Research Center, Asian Americans are the fastest-growing group in the United States. In the past four years, the number of Asian voters eligible to vote has increased by 15%, to approximately 2 million people. How the two parties attract Asian voters will become one of the keys to the election.

As the 2024 U.S. presidential election unfolds, Asian Americans are emphasizing the importance of their votes. “Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are the fastest-growing community in the United States,” said Christine Chen, co-founder and executive director of the Asian Pacific American Vote Initiative. “In the 2020 election, when we had large numbers of people voting, it was a wake-up call for every one of them.”

According to the Pew Research Center, the number of Asian-American voters eligible to vote has increased by 15% in the past four years, to approximately 2 million people. The presidential campaign teams of both parties have also noticed this change.

“Because it’s often these small margins that determine victory when campaigns are looking for more votes, they need to focus on Asian American voters,” Chen explained.

In the 2020 election, more than 21% of voters were first-time voters. However, Asian Americans are not monolithic, and their voting preferences vary.

Republican U.S. Representative Michelle Steel represents California’s 45th Congressional District. She said: “Typically, Indian Americans and Japanese Americans are the largest supporters of the Democratic Party, and Vietnamese Americans are the largest supporters of the Republican Party. And Chinese Americans have transformed from supporters of the Democratic Party in the past to independent voters.

Park Eun-joo said her district has the largest number of Vietnamese Americans but also has large numbers of Korean, Chinese, and Filipino Americans. To win the votes of each community, she chose to place herself close to their respective cultures.

“I’ve been doing this work in California for the past 30 years, maybe longer. You go to every community and engage with voters in different ways, and like, you know, for Vietnamese Americans, I have five An ‘ao dai,’ you wear their clothes. If I’m going to a Filipino community, I wear a ‘sari. It’s very important for elected officials to be involved in these groups.”

The Republican measures put pressure on Rep. Grace Meng, a New York Democrat. She thinks Democrats also need to step up their efforts to attract Asian voters.

“We have been saying to our Democratic leaders and candidates, ‘We can’t wait any longer; the other side has already taken action.” Meng Zhaowen said.

Meng believes that to appeal to her base, Democrats need to emphasize that they are the better choice when it comes to anti-Asian hate.

“We need to make sure that when we reach voters, we let people know which party truly represents and embodies their values. Let’s not forget that discrimination against our group has increased dramatically, with Republicans using terms like ‘kung flu’ and ‘Chinese virus.” Now they are legislating to prevent some Asian Americans from buying houses and realizing their American dream. This is almost the second version of the Chinese Exclusion Act 2.0.”

Mr. Wang, an Asian voter, said: “Asians are often underrepresented because they don’t go out to vote because they feel like they can’t change anything. But I think this year, every vote counts.”

As Super Tuesday ends and a rematch between current President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump becomes almost certain, Mr. Wang’s concerns are deepening. “I don’t know which candidate is better right now,” he said. “