AANHPI vote could impact outcome of North Carolina's political future

NCAAT WEBSITE

North Carolina Asian Americans Together is encouraging Asian Americans to vote.

While the complaint against Harvard University admissions gets the most attention, the case against University of North Carolina claiming the school admission process discriminates against Asian Americans is shining a light on the state's increasingly influential Asian American community.

With the Midterm Elections days away, the estimated 216,000 AANHPI potential voters in the state have the potential to tilt election outcomes. In toss-up races where state and federal candidates must fight for every vote, many campaigns have overlooked the fastest-growing racial demographic in the state. 

“Asian American voters have the power to win midterm elections for candidates who connect with us on the issues we care about,” says Chavi Khanna Koneru, executive director of North Carolina Asian Americans Together (NCAAT) and NCAAT in Action.

A new poll from NCAAT and UC San Diego’s US. Immigration Policy Center has found that only 39% of AAPI voters have been contacted by any political party about this year’s election.

“This July, Mario Benevente became the first Korean American City Council member (Fayetteville) in North Carolina. He won his election by just six votes. In a state where razor-thin margins win major elections, candidates who connect with and address the needs of Asian American constituents could see similar election success this year and beyond.”

The poll found that, like most Americans, Asian American voters consider Medicare for all (38%) and reducing prescription drug prices (38%) as their top public health concerns. 

Respondents also said their top public safety concerns include hate crimes against people of color (43%) and common sense gun control (43%). 

In addition to limited contact from political parties, 80% of Asian American voters who speak a language other than English at home report never received election material in their native language.

As the fastest-growing racial demographic in a battleground state and a mostly politically unaffiliated electorate, Asian Americans can be key to deciding the margin of victory in races across the ballot.

Many see the contest for US Senate in which  Republican Congressman Ted Budd is facing former state Supreme Court Justice Cheri Beasley a microcosm of the nation.

Trump won North Carolina n 2020 with the smallest of margins giving hope that Democrats can capture the state this year. However, inn the latest polling, Budd holds a slim lead over Beasley.

    RELATED: AANHPI voters targeted by racist, misleading mailers.

Conducted between September 14 and September 28, the NCAAT poll is the first ever to gauge Asian American voter attitudes for midterm elections in North Carolina. Poll results are available here: www.ncaat.org/poll2022

Here are some highlights of the survey, a collaboration of the US Immigration Policy Center (USIPC) at UC San Diego and North Carolina Asian Americans Together (NCAAT) with support from the RISE Together Fund.:

● AAPI voters in North Carolina are motivated to vote in the upcoming general election, as half of our respondents say they are more motivated to vote in November compared to previous elections 

● Among those who intend to vote during the November 2022 midterm elections, 83% report being a “strong yes” to voting 

● Only 39% of respondents have been contacted by any political party about the upcoming November 2022 midterm election 

● For those who speak a language other than English at home, a full 80% report never having received election materials in their native language 

● AAPI voters in North Carolina want to see more action on climate change, as 79% “strongly agree” or “agree” that Congress should pass stronger legislation to reduce the effects of climate change; 

● AAPI voters in North Carolina are concerned about a broad range of health issues. Among the three choices respondents were given, 38%, say that “Health access, including Medicare for all” is their most important public health issue, 38% say that “Reducing prescription drug prices” is their most important public health issue, and 24% say that “Reproductive rights, including abortion access” is their most important health issue 

● AAPI voters in North Carolina are also concerned about a broad range of public safety issues. Among the three choices respondents were given, 43%, say that “Hate crimes against people of color” is their most important public safety issue and 43% say that “Common sense gun control” is their most important public safety issue 

● Shifting locally, 71%, say that it is “absolutely essential” or “very important” to have a county Sheriff that understands or tries to understand the issues facing AAPIs in the U.S. Moreover, half of our respondents want to see more community engagement in their neighborhoods 

● In terms of public education, one-third of our respondents feel that the K-12 curriculum in North Carolina’s public schools do not reflect or represent them or their family’s experience as Asian Americans or Pacific Islanders 

● A full 47% of the respondents want to see more Asian American and Pacific Islander history included in K-12 curriculum in North Carolina’s public schools This data and policy brief reports the results of a new survey of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) voters in North Carolina. 

Koneru tells the ABC affiliate that she expects high voter turnout from the Asian American community for the  Midterm elections. AAPIs are the fastest-growing demographic in the state that has consistently increased turnout over the years, Koneru said, aided by get-out-the-vote efforts by NCAAT.

"This midterm election is so critical for the Asian American community because the Supreme Court is on the ballot," Koneru tells ABC. "The U.S. Senate is on the ballot. Important legislative seats are on the ballot, too. It could determine the future of North Carolina." 

NCAAT has established an election protection hotline that is running now through Election Day. It is available in more than 20 languages and can be reached at (919) 591-2442.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

Poll: AANHPI voters seeking a role and participation in Texas politics

TEXAS TRIBUNE

Asian American voters want to be seen and heard by Texas politicians.

It may be serendipitous, but the crowning of two Filipino Americans to compete in the Miss Universe and Miss America pageants is symbolic of the changing demographics of Texas and the ongoing effort for political recognition of AANHPI communities.

Asian Americans, and to certain extent, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, are the fastest growing group of voters in the Lone Star state and are clamoring to have their voices heard and eager to cast their ballots.

“This is a community that is sort of up for grabs to bring in and to make sure that you’re listening to these communities and so that you’re shaping policy and messaging in your campaigns to serve them,” founding president Ashley Cheng told NBC. “But it feels like a missed opportunity. … We need to be listened to.”

Around 80% of AAPI Texans surveyed in a recent poll conducted Asian Texans for Justice say their interests “are not well represented in government.”

Both of the pageant queens -- Averie Bishop, who will represent the state in the Miss America contest, and R'Bonney Gabriel, who went on be crowned Miss USA and who is headed to the Miss Universe pageant next year -- have been outspoken about their support for a woman's right to choose and representation in US culture.

The defeat of two high-profile Congressional candidates in 2020 -- Filipino American Gina Ortiz and Indian American Sri Kulkarni -- has not dampened the effort to wield the ever-increasing power of their influential votes.

To get a sense of their growing numbers and activism, a poll was taken by Asian  Texans for Justice during the summer. What they found is that AAPI voters are not a silent minority on the margins of Texas politics. They have the potential to be the deciding margin for the future of Texas. About 64% of AAPI voters are eager to vote but finding voting information in their own language has been a hurdle.

FYI: To read the entire Asian Texans for Justice report, click here.

While the White population of Texas declined by 17.5%, a decrease of 3 million people, between 2010 and 2020, the Asian American population grew by 66.5%, from 1.1 to 1.85 million, states the report. The Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander population grew by 62%, from 48,000 to over 77,000. Texas has the third highest AAPI population, and the Asian American community is growing faster in Texas than nationwide; nationally, the Asian American population increase was just 38.6%.

Other key findings from the survey are:

The pageant winners' decidedly progressive views also reflect the state's AANHPI voters, 42% of whom are registered Democrats, the party out of power in red state Texas. Asian American Republicans make up 29% of the AANHPI vote. A large portion, 29%, describe themselves as independent voters, aligned with neither of the two major parties.

The overwhelming majority of AANHPI live in and around metropolitan centers. Only 1% of the respondents lived in what's described as rural areas.

The largest concentration of Asian Americans, 35% live in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) metro area, 25% live in the Houston area, and 27% live in the San Antonio-Austin area.

The push to have an AAPI candidate for Congress for one of these areas was thwarted by the Republican-dominated Texas legislature. Instead of having a more powerful presence, the GOP lawmakers split the AANHPI voters so that their potential influence was also splintered and placed into districts dominated by Republicans. 

A lawsuit joined by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Brennan Center and the ACLU protesting the partisan gerrymandering of the new Congressional districts was supposed to be heard at the end of September, well before the Midterm elections in November. However, the judge postponed the court date until after the midterms.

In conclusion, the report expressed hope that the influence of the AAPI community will continue to grow despite efforts to weaken influence and suppress the ability to vote. 

Despite the vast increase in AAPI voting, AAPIs in Texas are still underrepresented in voting turnout. In 2020, 282,000 registered AAPIs did not vote that year. And with young AAPIs turning 18 every day, these groups — and unregistered AAPIs — present opportunities to expand the electorate. 

The poll concluded that AAPI voters can move from being sidelined on the margins to being the deciding margin for the future of Texas politics and policy.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.