The Asian-American Vote and How to Win It

During the past several elections, we’ve heard a lot about Latino voters and how candidates are trying to win their support. But why is it that we hear so little about Asian-American voters?  According to the Census, both groups grew by 43 percent between 2000 and 2010. And Asian and Pacific Islanders vote at roughly the same rate as Latinos. Of those registered to vote, 86 percent cast ballots in the last presidential election compared to 84 percent of Latinos.
And yet, according to a recent survey, only 23 percent of Asian Americans polled said they’d been contacted by the Democratic Party in the past two years and only 17 percent said they’d been contacted by the GOP. In the overall population, that number is generally between 30 percent and 40 percent. Christine Chen  is here to talk about these statistics, and what might change them. Chen is the Acting Executive Director for Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote.  Tony Nam  is an Asian American in Queens, New York who has never voted in a national election.