Party Outreach is Critical to Reaching Asian American Voters

Nou Thao, a junior at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, waited in line to vote in-person during the primary election in April amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Three weeks before Nov. 3, an opened envelope with her absentee ballot sat beside her.

“I can’t decide between Trump or Biden,” Thao said. “I don’t know much about the detail of their platform and the issues they are running on.”

Thao had attended virtual events for former Vice President Joe Biden, which were hosted by an Asian American organization.

“I have not seen any Asian American event where they support Trump,” Thao said. “If there are, I wanted to see what I am missing out on and the things I haven’t heard.”

Asian Americans are the fastest-growing group of voters in the U.S., according to a 2020 Pew Research Center study. From 2000 to 2020, the number of Asian American eligible voters more than doubled.

The 2020 Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote Survey found that party outreach will be critical. Political parties have not harnessed the Asian American vote despite the fact many remain persuadable. The survey showed that about half of all respondents were not contacted by either major party.

The top concerns among Asian American voters are the economy, health care, education and racial discrimination, according to the survey. They favored Republicans in economic issues and favored Democrats in all other issues.

In 2018, a similar survey from APIAVote found that Democratic Party candidates have advantages among Asian American voters when compared to Republican candidates.

Vietnamese American is the only group among APIA that prefers Republican candidates over Democrats. While many affiliated themselves with political parties, some respondents identified themselves as independent voters.

“We are big enough to swing state and maybe even federal election,” said Wilson Lee, Asian American Pacific Island Community Engagement Director for Biden and Harris in Minnesota.

Lee became an engagement director because he wants to reach out to Asian Americans, especially Hmong Americans, to go out and vote.

“People that we put in office; they control the budget from state to local level,” Lee said. “We care about our issues, and we want them represented us at those levels and the federal level.”

Lee is in an organization that is reaching out to Asian American to vote. “The more we cast our ballots the more they will listen to our voice,” he said.

“You have this privilege to vote now that so many people before us fought to obtain to give you a voice to choose who you want to represent you,” Lee said. “Vote. It’s the most American thing you can do.”

There are 91,556 eligible Asian Pacific Islander American voters in Wisconsin. The number has grown 82% since 2000. A fifth of eligible Asian American Pacific Islander voters in Wisconsin live in Milwaukee County.

Hmong American among is the largest APIA group in Milwaukee. They’re also the youngest APIA voters, according to Pew Research Center.

“A lot of Hmong can’t afford health insurance,” Thao said. “They are on Medicare and Medicaid. Trump is against Obama Care and affordable health care. We should go vote and make our voice be heard.”

Thao also said that if a candidate emphasizes an education system that supports minorities and under-represented students, the candidate would get her vote.

“I will vote,” Thao said. “I want my voice to be heard.”

Yengkong Thao, a senior at UWM, is worried about casting his ballot for the first time. Thao attends school in Milwaukee, but his Identification Card’s address is in Madison, Wis.

“In the past, I didn’t vote during Hillary and Trump election,” Thao said. “I feel that they don’t represent me.”

Thao wants leaders and representatives who can take on discrimination against Asian Americans and he wants leaders who condemn racism. He said that if capable leaders were handling the situation during the police brutality protest in Kenosha, Wis., there would be no shooting and deaths at the protest.

“I’m trying to request for a mail-in ballot,” Thao said. “I notice a lot of things going on this year. Whether it’s COVID or the protest, the need to vote is important right now. If I don’t get my mail-in ballot, I will vote in person.”

Long Xiong, a senior a UW-Stevens Point, wants leaders who condemn racism.

“Trump tells the Proud Boys to stand back and stand by during the debate,” Xiong said. “It is troublesome to hear that. It sounds like he’s encouraging that, and it instills fears to minorities who are vulnerable to discrimination.”

President Trump is not handling the pandemic to the best of his ability, Xiong said. He wants an administration that understands the seriousness of coronavirus.

“I have my views on this administration,” he said. “But I am not imposing them on friends and families. I know Trump is not all bad. I just want them to be informed on the election and vote.”