POLL: AAPI voters' dislike of Trump show up in battleground states

ASAM NEWS

A NON-PARTISAN election-eve poll conducted by the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund found Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are angry at Donald Trump and took their outrage to the ballot box.

The poll focused on six states where there are contested elections-Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Nevada and Texas. Included in the poll are 70 House battleground districts.

Those Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders surveyed say they voted for Democrats over Republicans by a margin of 72% to 24%.

Top issues for AAPI voters in these battleground states were health care costs, 33%; the economy, 21%; and immigration, 18%.
“Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders are making their voices heard this election cycle on the issues that remain important to our communities such as healthcare, immigration, and the economy,” said Kathy Ko Chin, president and CEO of the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum. “Our communities make up more than five percent of voters in eight states and 108 congressional districts, and the poll results indicate the increasing recognition that our communities are important segments of the American voting electorate.”

71% Asian and Pacific Islander American voters in battleground districts say Trump and his GOP party are normalizing sexism and sexual harassment against women in America.

“Asian American and Pacific Islander voters are headed into the 2018 midterms angry about the president’s words and deeds and clearly rejecting the Republican Party’s politics of fear and division,” said Taeku Lee of Asian American Decisions. “In stark contrast to the 2014 midterms, AAPI voters are also being mobilized and are engaged in unprecedented numbers.”

75% of Asian and Pacific Islander American voters in battleground districts encouraged friends or family to register and/or vote.

“This year’s poll reveals that Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) voters are mobilized like never before, with initial results pointing to an increase in early voting and other forms of political participation, like, encouraging friends or family to vote, donating to campaigns and attending events and rallies,” said EunSook Lee, Director of the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund.

“Commissioned by a cross-sector of organizations to capture a fuller, more accurate picture of the increasingly diverse American electorate, the nonpartisan poll sheds unprecedented light on how African American, AAPI, Latino, Native American, and white voters engaged in the 2018 midterm elections.”

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An important message to California's AAPI voters

ONE MORE DAY. Well, fellow Californians, You've been inundated with never-ending TV commercials and online popup ads for the last month and now it's your turn. Are you ready to cast your vote?

Many of us come from countries where out vote doesn't matter, where the vote is suppressed and democratic participation is not encouraged.

"Our families endured many hardships to come to the United States for its freedom and opportunity. Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) can honor their family's legacy and sacrifice by voting on November 6," said Christine Chen, Executive Director of APIAVote,

"APIAVote's 2018 Asian American Voter Survey found that financial security, quality healthcare, good public schools, and safety from gun violence are the top issues motivating AAPI voters in this midterm election. To ensure their voices are heard, APIAVote and our partners are calling hundreds of thousands of voters to help them make their plans to vote and honor family's legacy and sacrifice.”

Our friends at the ACLU have prepared the following hints and links to make your day go easier.

1. What’s your voting plan? Use our tool to make your personalized plan for Tuesday -- pick a time and location that work for you. Check what forms of ID you need to bring in California.


2. Do you know what's on your ballot? Click here to take a look at everything you’ll be voting on, compare candidates and positions, and even print it out (or send it to your phone) so you can bring it into the voting booth.


3. Are your friends and family voting? Send them a quick text to make sure. Better yet, give them a call -- and forward this email to help them make a plan.

In case you needed a reminder, friend -- so much is at stake on Tuesday:

We can restore some balance and a sense of sanity back in Congress by electing Democrats. Under the GOP, neither the House or the Senate has challenged any of Trump's outlandish ideas.

• The attack on family reunification and halving the number of legal immigrants that could enter the U.S. are real elements of Donald Trump's proposed immigration reform that would prevent you from petitioning for your parents, brothers and sisters to come to the U.S.

• If the GOP retains control of both houses in Congress, they will continue to pare down the Affordable Care Act. They know they can't eliminate it. The American public, including many of their supporters, rely on the ACA for their health care needs. So they will continue to nibble around the edges by removing key elements that keep it affordable or reduce funding for advertising or outreach to attract more clients.

• The massive tax cuts -- the one campaign promise they did fulfill -- to the ultra rich has reduced money coming into the government so what is their solution? They want to take money from other parts of the government including Social Security and Medicare. The middle-class tax cuts promise Trump uttered a couple of weeks ago is not going to happen because it would send out debt soaring even more than it has already.

If you're angry at the shenanigans going on in Washington, or you want to do something more than just complain, here's your chance to do your part of democracy -- VOTE! Stop checking your social media, take a break from studying, get off that couch and head to the polls.

Your vote counts! You -- as an immigrant, as an American citizen, as an Asian American -- matter! VOTE!

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Study: Asian Americans less likely to get a response from their state legislators

ASAM NEWS

A new study has found that Asian/Americans who reach out to their state legislator are less likely to get a response than other groups, according to researchers who shared their findings in a blog on the Washington Post.

Micah Gell-Redman from the University of Georgia, Neil Visalvanich from Durham University, and Charles Crabtree and Christopher Farris from the University of Michigan created email addresses from fictitious constituents with different demographic characteristics.

The study’s authors found that legislators were less likely to respond to requests from racial and ethnic minorities, however the disparity was greatest for Asian/American constituents.

Over two-thirds, or 69 percent, of the state legislators in the country representing 42 states were tested.

Blacks were three percent less likely to get a response than Whites.

Latinos were seven percent less likely and Asian Americans were nine percent less likely.

Republicans were 9 percent less likely than Democrats to respond to a Latino. The study doesn’t give a reason why, but suspects that may be due to one of two factors. Prejudice may be to blame or it’s possible Republicans dismiss Latinos because they are statistically more likely to be a Democrat.

When it comes to Asian Americans, Democrats and Republicans are equally less likely to respond. It’s possible that Asians are dismissed because they are less likely to vote. However, Latinos are also less likely to vote. Their population is also much larger than Asians.

Both Latinos and Asian Americans are also more likely to be independent and not loyal to either party. The study concludes “if both parties fail to engage with this growing constituency, members of these groups may well have reason to feel less than enthusiastic about politics and to stay away from the polls, making this self-reinforcing.”

In a glaring omission, the authors in their Washington Post blog do not mention prejudice as a possible factor for Asian Americans to not receive a response.
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