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Relative to examinations of African American and Latino voters, Asian Americans have been overlooked. However, given that both Senators John McCain and Barack Obama have ties to Asian communities and the increasing influence of the Asian American vote, more attention is being paid. Christopher Beam in Slate examines the history of invisibility, some of the new investigations and points to the likely increased influence of Asian American voters in the future:
Since 1980, the Asian-American population has tripled. By 2030, it's expected to nearly double again. Meanwhile, Asian-Americans are flooding battleground states like Nevada, Minnesota, and Virginia faster than other immigrant groups.
Angry Asian Man highlights a new survey of Asian American voters and provides links to the results.
As Tyche Hendricks writes at the San Francisco Chronicle, one of the notable findings is that about one third of Asian American voters are undecided.
Perhaps this is, in part, because both presidential candidates have ties to Asian communities:
Obama, who spent part of his childhood in Asia, has sent a personal message to the voters, saying he considered himself "an honorary" member of the community.
"I was born in Hawaii, a majority Asian American state, where I spent much of my childhood, and I've lived in Indonesia ... I had college roommates who were Indian and Pakistani," he said in a "blueprint for the change we need" for the 13 million strong community.
"My sister is half Indonesian, and she is married to a Chinese Canadian," he added.
McCain also has powerful Asian connections, including having served in the Vietnam War and having an adopted 17-year-old Bangladeshi daughter.
And many Asian-Americans are attracted by his immigration reforms and bipartisanship.
The 71-year-old Vietnam War hero enjoys two-thirds of Vietnamese Americans' support, according to polls.
Groups of Asian American voters see this election as an opportunity to influence outcomes and are increasingly forming multi-ethnic coalitions to gain notice. (This is not the first time, however, as Asian American communities have formed multi-ethnic voting coalitions in support of local campaigns, notably winning Vietnamese-Latino coalitions in San Jose, CA.) Pamela Constable reports in the Washington Post growing political activity from Virginia voters of Vietnamese, Korean and Indian descent. And, as in Virgina, Rhodes Cook at the Wall Street Journal notes that Asian American voters could provide a tipping point in several battleground states.
Jane Junn from Rutgers University notes another reason why Asian American voting preferences are receiving greater attention:
And yet, many remain unattached to either of the two major political parties. Like the immigrants at the turn of the last century – Irish, Italians, Jews – Asian Americans are open and poised to adopt partisan identifications that, once set, will tend to be passed from one generation to the next.
That’s why anyone who wants to win elections in an increasingly diverse America should care about Asian American voters.
Another fascinating finding from the National Asian American Survey is that a majority of Asian American voters opposes Proposition 8 which would overturn gay marriage in California. While they remain divided over gay marriage itself, opposition stems from unwillingness to amend the state constitution in order to ban the right. This prompts Jennifer at Mixed Race America to note that Asian Americans are not as conservative as you might think.
As a former student of multi-racial and ethnic voting coalitions I welcome this deeper delve into the voting behavior of groups of Americans who have been overlooked in the past. I hope the NAAS will be informative and eye-opening for you, as well.
Related Reading:
Anali at Anali's First Amendment calls for Vietnamese-speaking volunteers for Obama given the support McCain has in the community.
Glennia Campbell reported from the Asian-American Pacific Islander Caucus at the Democratic National Convention for Kimchi Mamas.
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If BlogHer Contributing Editor, Maria Niles had written her dissertation it would have been on Black-Latino Voting Coalitions in Urban Areas. Visit her for more over on her personal blog PopConsumer.
