5/21/09 Associated Press: “Majority of NYC Asian Americans voted for Obama,”
    New York (AP) - More than three-quarters of Asian American voters in New York City gave their support to Barack Obama on Election Day.
    The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund on Thursday released the results of its exit poll from the 2008 elections. The exit poll surveyed 8,771 Asian American voters.
    The poll found that Obama got 78% of the city's Asian American vote. Sen. John McCain got 21%.
    Among Asian Americans, South Asians gave Obama the most support, with 93% of those polled voting for him.
    AALDEF conducted exit polling in 11 states on Election Day.
    On the Net: http://www.aaldef.org/

 
5/1/09 Washington Post: "Pew Study: 2008 Electorate Most Diverse Yet,"
by Dan Balz
    A new study by the Pew Research Center found that participation rates among African Americans, Latinos and Asian Americans all rose between 2004 and 2008, leaving the share of the electorate accounted for by white voters at an all-time low of 76.3 percent.
    African American women voted at higher participation rates than any other racial or ethnic group, according to the study, which was based on an analysis of Census data. The study found that 68.8 percent of eligible black women voted in the last election, an increase of 5.1 percentage points.
    White women were the next highest in participation rates, followed by white men, black men, Latino women and Latino men. Asian American men and women voted ranked at the bottom in terms of participation rates.
    Overall, African Americans accounted for 12.1 percent of the electorate, up from 11 percent in 2004. Black turnout increased by two million voters.
    Latinos increased their share of the electorate from 6 percent to 7.4 percent between 2004 and 2008, and, like African Americans, saw their numbers grow by two million voters. The Asian American share of the electorate grew from 2.3 percent to 2.5 percent.
    Twenty years ago, the presidential electorate was 84.9 percent white. It has decreased in each presidential election since then, but the sharpest decline came between 2004 and 2008.
    Obama's candidacy was a factor in the higher participation rates among minorities, but population growth among minority groups also contributed to the changing composition of the electorate, according to the study, which was authored by Mark Hugo Lopez and Paul Taylor.

1-15-09 Northwest Asian Weekly: “63% of Asian Americans 
vote for Obama,”
by Amy Phan
    There was a record voting turn out for minority groups across all demographics in the 2008 election.
    Unlike the 2000 presidential election, Asian Americans played a key role in solidifying Obama’s success. According to exit polls of 16,000 randomly selected voters conducted by CNN/Gallup Poll, 63 percent of Asian Americans voted for Obama.
    “Historically, the Asian American electorate is often viewed as a mixed bag in partisan terms. … Previous elections pointed to a slight preference for the Democratic candidate,” said Taeku Lee, an associate professor of political science and law at the University of California at Berkeley .
    However, 2008 exit polls revealed Asian American voters exceeded votes received by John Kerry in 2000 from Latino voters, who are viewed as a solid Democratic electorate, he continued.
    Lee said key issues leading up to the 2008 election was “no different for Asian Americans than they were for the American electorate as a whole,” citing the two major concerns to be setting the “economy on a quick path to recovery and chart a way out of America’s … involvement in Iraq.”
    According to Lee, Obama’s presidential approval ratings will rest heavily upon his “attentive[ness]” toward the political views and interests of “Asian American and Latino voters.”
    “Asians and Latinos are the two fastest growing segments of the electorate, and the long-term viability and success … is contingent on bringing these largely immigrant-based electorates into the fold,” he said.
    However, Lee believes Obama’s approval from minority voters would be “solidified … by handling [issues of the economy and Iraq war] with some measure of competence and forward-looking vision.”

1/5/09 press release: AALDEF Exit Poll of Over 16,000 Asian American Voters Shows Strong Support for Barack Obama in Historic 2008 Presidential Election
    New York—Asian American voters favored President-Elect Barack Obama by a 3-1 margin and supported other Democratic candidates in the November 2008 elections, according to an exit poll released today by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF). The 11-state multilingual exit poll of 16,665 Asian American voters, conducted by AALDEF in collaboration with 60 national and local community groups, is the largest nonpartisan poll of its kind in the nation.
    AALDEF Executive Director Margaret Fung said: "Asian Americans, especially first-time voters, demonstrated strong support for the historic 2008 election of our nation's first African American president. The AALDEF exit poll reflects the ongoing importance of the Voting Rights Act to promote Asian American voter participation and to increase minority representation at the highest levels of government."
    The 2008 exit poll provides a unique snapshot of the voter preferences of Asian Americans in 39 cities in 11 states with large Asian American populations: New York , New Jersey , Virginia , Maryland , Pennsylvania , Massachusetts , Michigan , Illinois , Nevada , Louisiana , Texas , and Washington , DC . AALDEF has conducted exit polls of Asian American voters in every major election since 1988. In the 2004 Presidential elections, AALDEF polled 10,789 Asian American voters in 8 states.
    The six largest Asian ethnic groups polled in 2008 were Chinese (32%), Asian Indian (16%), Korean (14%), Bangladeshi (8%), Vietnamese (7%) and Filipino (5%). Four out of five (79%) of those polled were foreign born. Over one-third (35%) described themselves as limited English proficient, and 21% had no formal U.S. education. Nearly one-third (31%) were first-time voters.
    The AALDEF exit poll collected information about the party enrollment, English proficiency and issue preferences of first-time voters, foreign-born voters, women voters, and young voters. A detailed chart can be downloaded here. Selected highlights appear below:
    • Asian American voters favored Barack Obama by a wide margin and are registered increasingly as Democrats.
    By more than a 3 to 1 margin, Asian Americans favored Barack Obama over John McCain, 76% to 22%, with 2% voting for other candidates. A clear majority (58%) of Asian Americans were registered Democrats, 26% were not enrolled in any political party, and 14% of Asian Americans were registered Republicans.
    • First-time voters favored Barack Obama by greater margins.
    Among first-time Asian American voters, 82% voted for Barack Obama, 17% voted for John McCain, and 1% voted for other candidates.
    • Asian Americans shared common political interests across ethnic lines, with the Economy/Jobs cited as the most important issue in their vote for President.
    Regardless of ethnicity, almost all Asian ethnic groups voted as a bloc for the same candidates and identified common reasons for their vote. Economy/Jobs was the top choice for each ethnic group when voters were asked to select the most important issue from the following choices: Civil Rights/Immigrant Rights, Crime in Neighborhoods, Economy/Jobs, Education, Foreign Policy/War in Iraq, Health Care, Terrorism/Security, and Other Factors.
    Economy/Jobs was the dominant issue for Asian American voters (30%), followed by Health Care (19%), Foreign Policy/War in Iraq (15%), Education (13%) and Civil Rights/Immigration Rights (11%).
    • Language assistance and bilingual ballots are needed to preserve access to the vote.
    Although one in five (20%) identified English as their native language, 35% of Asian Americans polled said that they were limited English proficient. A number of poll sites were mandated to provide bilingual ballots and interpreters under the federal Voting Rights Act; other jurisdictions voluntarily provided language assistance. In the 2008 elections, 18% of all respondents preferred to use some form of language assistance to vote.
    AALDEF Staff Attorney Glenn Magpantay said: “AALDEF’s poll monitors found that many Asian Americans had to overcome numerous hurdles to exercise their right to vote. Many Asian American voters found their names missing from voter lists, some poll workers were rude and hostile toward new citizen voters, and limited English proficient voters had difficulty accessing interpreters and translated voting materials.”
    Based on findings from the 2008 exit poll and AALDEF’s election monitoring efforts over the past decade, AALDEF will be advocating for vigorous enforcement of the Voting Rights Act, including expanded provisions for language assistance under section 203; more voluntary assistance in jurisdictions with growing Asian American populations that are limited English proficient; and the removal of barriers that deter new citizen voters from exercising their right to vote.
    The 2008 multilingual exit poll was conducted at 113 poll sites in 12 Asian languages and dialects: Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese, Tagalog, Khmer, Arabic, Bengali, Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, and Gujarati. AALDEF worked with 60 co-sponsoring organizations to mobilize 1,500 attorneys, law students and community volunteers to conduct the multilingual exit poll and to monitor polling places for incidents of voter discrimination.
    National Co-Sponsors: Asian Pacific Islander American Vote, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, National Korean American Service and Education Consortium, North American South Asian Bar Association, Organization of Chinese Americans, South Asian Americans Leading Together. Legal Co-Sponsors: AU Washington College of Law, Human Rights Clinic-DC, Asian American Bar Association of Greater Chicago-IL, Asian American Bar Association of Houston-TX, Asian American Bar Association of New York, Asian American Lawyers Association of MA, Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Greater DC, Asian Pacific American Bar Association of PA, Asian Pacific American Lawyers Association of NJ, Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center – DC Greater Boston Legal Services: Asian Outreach Unit Indian American Bar Association of IL, Korean  American Lawyers Association of Greater NY, Michigan Asian Pacific American Bar Association, Muslim Bar Association of New York, South Asian Bar Association of DC, South Asian Bar Association of New Jersey, South Asian Bar Association of New York, South Asian Bar Association of Michigan, U. Penn. School of Law, Public Interest Office Temple U. School of Law, Public Interest Office-PA. Local Co-Sponsors: ACCESS-MI, Asian American LEAD-DC, Asian American Society of Central Virginia, Asian Community Development Corporation of Boston-MA ,Asian Pacific American Agenda Coalition–MA, Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia-PA, Conference for Asian Pacific American Leadership–DC, Chinatown Voter Education Alliance–NY, Chinese American Voters Association–NY, Chinese Progressive Association–MA, Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans of Virginia, Committee of 70-PA, Filipino American Human Services Inc.–NY, Hunter College/CUNY, Asian American  Studies Program, Korean American Coalition–DC, Korean American Voters’ Council of NY/NJ, Korean American Resource & Cultural Center-IL, Korean Community Service Center of Greater Washington, DC, Maryland Vietnamese Mutual Association-MD, Mass VOTE-MA, One Lowell-MA, Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation–PA, Providence Youth and Student Movement-RI, Sikh Coalition–NY, South Asian Youth Action!–NY, U. Maryland Asian American Studies Program, Viet-Vote–MA, Vietnamese American Initiative for Development-MA, Vietnamese American Mutual Association-MD, Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association of New Orleans, LA, YKASEC: Empowering Korean American Communities-NY. 
    The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), founded in 1974, is a national organization that protects and promotes the civil rights of Asian Americans. By combining litigation, advocacy, education, and organizing, AALDEF works with Asian American communities across the country to secure human rights for all.

 

1/3/04 cnn.com
Of 13,660 respondents in exit polls, Asian Americans were 2% of the electorate. 
44% voted for Bush and 56% for Kerry.   Survey conducted for the Associated Press and television networks by Edison Media Research/Mitofsky International.  The margin of error is plus or minus 1 percentage point for overall sample, larger for subgroups.

5/9/02 Washington Times: "GOP finds party a tough sell to minorities,"
    Although Asians went by a 55-31 percent margin for the elder George Bush in 1992 and by 48-43 percent for Bob Dole over Bill Clinton in 1996, they reversed party allegiance in 2000, voting 54-41 percent for Mr. Gore over Mr. Bush.
    "Republicans are at their nadir with Asians," Gary South, chief strategist for Democratic Gov. Gray Davis of California, told The Washington Times.
    Asians are the second-fastest growing segment of the electorate after Hispanics. Yet, as Mr. South noted, "Democrats now have a 65-35 percent split with [Asian voters], not in registration but in voting behavior. In 1992, they were registered 4-1 Republican. Right now, that constituency is half Democrat and half Republican" in California.

"Gore Did Well Among API Voters in New York" Jan. 12-18, 2001 AsiaWeek.com
http://www.asianweek.com/2001_01_12/news6_gorewoninnewyork.html 
    Asian American voters in New York City chose Gore for president over Bush by a margin of 3 to 1, according to a survey of 5,000 voters conducted by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF).
    About 78% of the Asian Americans polled voted for Gore, while just 20% voted for Bush.  The numbers almost mirrored that of the general population of New Yorkers, where, according to other exit polls, Gore captured 77% and Bush pulled in 19%.
    The multi-lingual poll was conducted by AALDEF on election day at 14 different sites in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.  All of the sites were located in neighborhoods with high concentrations of Asian Americans.
    Among voters polled, 60% were registered Democrats, a 6% increase since the 1996 election.  The number of Republicans dropped by six points to 14%; those with no party affiliation remained steady at 24%.
    Chinese Americans made up 69% of the voters surveyed.  South Asian Americans accounted for 15%, Korean Americans 9%, and Filipino Americans 4%.  The remaining 3% included Thai, Burmese, Vietnamese, and Japanese American voters.

Asian-American voters in California voted for Gore over Bush 48% to 47%.  Asian- Americans were 6% of the California electorate in 2000, an increase from 4% from 1988 to 1996.  In 1988, "Asian/ other" voted for Dukakis over Bush, 52%  to 47%.  In 1992,   "Asian/Other" voted 39% for Clinton, 38% for Bush, and 23% for Perot.  In 1996, "Asian/ Other" voted 52% for Clinton, 43% for Dole,  4% for Perot and 1% other.  In 2000, "Asian/Other" voted 48% for Gore, 47% for Bush, and 4% for Nader.  11/14/00 San Francisco Chronicle: "68% of State's Latino Voters Back Gore: Democratic candidate also outpolled Republican Bush among women, blacks, Asians"     

The Asian Pacific American Legal Center conducted an exit poll of  5,000 voters -- 2,000 of them Asian Americans -- in heavily Asian neighborhoods in southern California.  The survey
showed Vice President Al Gore received 62.3% of the votes cast by Asian Americans, while Gov. George W. Bush garnered 34.7%.

The poll showed that almost 17% of Asian Republicans across 16 cities in Los Angeles and Orange counties crossed over to choose Gore -- a trend first noted in the March primary.

Statewide, the Los Angeles Times exit poll found that Asians voted for Gore in proportions similar to the Los Angeles survey by the legal center. The Times exit poll found that 63% of Asian voters supported Gore while 33% backed Bush. Latinos and blacks voted for Gore by even larger margins, with Latinos going for Gore over Bush, 75% to 23%, and blacks voting 85% to 14%.  Whites, who made up nearly three-fourths of the California electorate, favored Bush over Gore 49% to 47%, the Times exit poll found.

In the legal center's survey, Asian voters identifying themselves as Democrats increased about 12 percentage points -- from 36% in 1996 to 48.4% this year. At the same time, Asian voters labeling
themselves as Republicans decreased from 40% to 29.7%. The ranks of independents fell 24% in 1996 to 19.5% this year.

The legal center's study of Asian American voting patterns in the 16 cities was conducted in Chinese,
English, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese. It took in 57 precincts in Los Angeles, Alhambra, Artesia, Carson, Cerritos, Garden Grove, Gardena, Long Beach, Monterey Park, Rosemead, San Gabriel, San Marino, Santa Ana, South Pasadena, Torrance and Westminster.

A separate exit poll was conducted in San Francisco, where more than a third of the population is Asian -- predominantly Chinese. Gore received 82% of the Chinese American votes to Bush's 16%, according an exit poll conducted by David Binder Research for
the Chinese American Voter Education Committee.
The Chinese vote for Gore surpassed the citywide 75%
margin for Gore.  There, 41% of the Chinese voters said they knew of the 80-20 Initiative, a new Asian American political action committee that endorsed Gore. The group urged Asian Americans to vote as a bloc for Gore.

In the survey of Los Angeles and Orange counties, 25% of Asian American voters said they were familiar with 80-20.  

Asian Americans compose about 6% of California voters.  

Above facts from "Asian Americans Lean to Democrats, Poll Says: A group that in the past has scattered its votes on many ballot lines voted heavily for Gore on Tuesday."  11/10/00 Los Angeles Times