Sarah Poonton, 49, became a citizen late last year and one of the first things she did was register to vote.
She’s part of a remarkable trend. Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders experienced the largest increase in voter registration of any racial group in the country from January to June compared to the same period in the 2020 election cycle. That’s according to an analysis first shared with NBC News by citizen engagement nonprofit APIAVote and research firm TargetSmart.
Experts say the increase may be due to more first-generation immigrants becoming naturalized, more young U.S.-born Asian Americans reaching adulthood, and increased efforts to get out the vote. It states that there is. From 1960 to 2019, immigrants coming to the United States from Asia increased 29 times, and this group was more likely to become naturalized than the foreign-born population as a whole. Since 2020, this racial group represents the fastest-growing segment of the electorate.
So is Puntong. She said that as an Asian immigrant from Thailand and the daughter of a factory worker, she felt the issue of high ticket prices often excluded her. She said she never voted because she felt her vote was meaningless. But after the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, Poonton said she could no longer sit still.
“I realized how important it is to vote in local and presidential elections,” said Poonton, who lives in Chicago and works in administration and finance. “So I made a conscious choice to become a citizen, register to vote, and vote for the first time in the primary.”
Christine Chen, executive director of APIAVote, said this benefit is due not only to the growth in the voting-age population, but also to the political momentum and anti-Asian sentiment that energized the Asian American community during the last election. He said it could also be due to anti-hate activities. And in the middle of a pandemic.
Such organizing was largely organized by the same groups that have supported vote-to-vote efforts for years and helped draw attention to voting and civic engagement, she said. Chen said this is important given that Asian American and Pacific Islander voters exceeded the margin of victory in many states, including Georgia, in the 2020 election.
“There’s a sense of not being safe, not safe. I think that’s why people want change,” Chen said. “They realize that this is part of the equation, that they need to lean in and really participate.”
Researchers looked at national voter registration data through June 4, the latest day all 50 states released their vote counts, and compared it to the same period in 2020. It was found that enrollment among Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders increased by 43 people. %, 550,682 to 787,982 voters. This is more than double the increase compared to both black and white new voters.
Chen said that historically the community has not seen a dramatic increase in political participation. However, the situation changed in 2020, when Asian American presidential election turnout increased by double digits. In recent years, more resources and more community organizations have been dedicated to making voting happen, Chen said.
“So heading into 2020, there was a lot more work from the community about building political power and linking that to voting,” Chen said. “Then you have a rise in anti-Asian violence and a pandemic. … People still feel like elected officials aren’t listening to us and paying attention to us. And I think that continued to drive growth.”
Karthik Ramakrishnan, co-founder of the research nonprofit AAPI Data, said this growth is also being driven by naturalized voters, who make up the majority of Asian American voters. Approximately 1 million legal immigrants will become U.S. citizens in fiscal year 2022, roughly matching the record highs of 1996 and 2008.
People who have been in the U.S. for a long time in particular are more likely to take the next step and register to vote, he said.
“However, if you have lived in a country for a long time, you tend to have an increased interest in politics, are more likely to get involved in politics, and are more likely to be contacted, so if you become naturalized, you are more likely to register to vote.” ” he said.
Ramakrishnan also pointed out that some states are making it much easier and more convenient for naturalized citizens to register to vote in civic engagement processes that are difficult for immigrants.
“Voter registration rules have changed in some states to make it much easier and automatic for people to register to vote,” he said.
Of course, because this election feels more “controversial,” many others are also being forced to register, Ramakrishnan said, adding that “people with a neutral stance on Trump” It’s difficult,” he added.
“There’s no denying that Donald Trump has made people more interested in politics. He’s a polarizing figure,” he said. “People are putting their energy into either supporting Trump or opposing Trump.”
Poonton said she, too, feels this election is a particularly important moment in history, and even planned a vacation around Election Day in November to vote in person. Her biggest concern, she said, is reproductive rights.
“That’s my biggest challenge, just making sure we move forward and have bodily autonomy,” she said.
Ramakrishnan noted that the increase in Asian American voter registration was likely even more dramatic because the data set ended before Vice President Kamala Harris entered the race.
“This is something we’re seeing more generally, regardless of race or ethnicity, but what I’ve seen specifically is a huge increase in voter registration in the last month among younger voters and women voters.” he said. “I expect Ms. Harris’ candidacy will also increase Asian American voter registration and voter interest.”
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