The Importance of the Asian Vote: The Time for Political Mobilization is Now
In past elections, there has been one demographic that has remained largely overlooked: Asian Americans (AAPI). Though much can’t be done this close to an election, Asian-Americans must be acknowledged as their influence will only grow in the future. According to an article from the Pew Research Center, eligible Asian voters are predicted to make up only 4% of the total voter population, however, this equates to about 11 million eligible voters. Unfortunately, politicians often overlook the impact the Asian vote has in an election.
AAPI voters have already played a big part in past elections. According to an article from the Washington Post, Asian voters in Southern California likely helped Democrats flip a number of traditionally Republican house seats in 2018. A New York Times article reported that over the course of five years, Asian voters flipped a number of Republican seats in the Virginia House of Delegates.
We can already see the power of the AAPI vote on a local level, indicating that this is just the beginning. Asian Americans are the fourth largest and fastest growing ethnic group in the US. If so much change can occur over such a small time frame, it is worth taking into consideration how the Asian vote will dictate the results of future elections.
Elizabeth Mai 16, a high school junior from Montgomery County, said, “I don’t think politicians make that much of an effort to connect with Asian voters, and it’s mostly Asians within communities who are advocating.” Many Asians do not feel spoken to or are ignored due to language barriers. There have been efforts from various community organizations to educate the Asian population on the importance of voting and how they can begin the voting process, as well as promoting ballots to include languages like Korean, Japanese, and Hindi. As Mai said, “we have a duty to vote.”
The electoral college also plays a part in downplaying the Asian vote since the majority of Asians live in safe states like California, where individual votes are heavily diluted. More attention and resources are focused on swing states, like Florida and Nevada, which have a lower Asian population in general. This result in Asian Americans having the lowest voter turnout out of all the other demographics and knowing the sheer amount of eligible Asian voters makes this fact even more weighty.
A lack of political representation may also play a large part in the lack of attention directed towards Asians. Currently, there are only 13 representatives and three senators who are of Asian descent serving in Congress. This year’s Democratic primary was a momentous milestone in Asian American representation with two ex-presidential nominee candidates, Kamala Harris and Andrew Yang, being of Asian descent. Vismaya Paul Mohindra, a high school junior from Montgomery County, said, “Harris and Yang speak more directly to the community, and I’ve seen how people in my community are getting more invested in debates or other political events.” And if the Biden-Harris ticket wins this coming election, it will keep moving this trend forward. Being represented is essential in motivating Asian Americans to vote and further involve themselves in the political process.
Asian Americans have been ignored and excluded for too long in the American political stadium, resulting in this powerful demographic feeling as if their vote has no value. Parties on both sides are at fault for this sentiment. Democrats and Republican politicians often do not try to cater to Asian American issues or encourage Asians to vote like they ask of most other demographics. Some politicians try to connect with the Asian community, but it takes a unified political front to show Asians that their vote matters.
Athira Nair (16) is an Indian-American who loves writing and journalism. She writes for two other student newspapers and is always on the lookout for controversial topics to cover. Other than journalism, Athira also does archery, reads, and writes short stories in her free time.
Originally published at https://yellohmoose.org
