Unless political candidates and their operatives more consistently and aggressively mobilize the Asian-American electorate and steer them into voter registration, the impact of this racial group at the polls will remain limited.
That’s the opinion of Dr. Janelle Wong, a University of Maryland professor of American studies and interdisciplinary political scientist.
“It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy and circular issue,” Wong says. “We have to break the cycle of relatively low-propensity voter turnout. But nothing will change if we don’t mobilize more Asian Americans. Mobilization needs to be year ‘round, not just during presidential election years because the turnaround is too short.”
Wong’s comments are in response to a new report by the Center for American Progress that found that in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, only 49 percent of Asian-American voters cast ballots compared to 64 percent of Whites.
The disparity has existed for several decades, according to the report, and shows no signs of fading without targeted intervention.
Nationally, people of Asian descent are expected to make up about 10 percent of eligible U.S. voters by 2036.
The center’s report – which suggests multiple ways to improve Asian-American voter turnout – zeroes in on the fact that only 56 percent of Asians versus 72 percent of Whites are even registered to vote. The report’s findings blame laws around the country that reinforce the gap by not making voter registration easier.
