Snapshot: Asian American Voters

April 4, 2008

“Asian Americans make up about 5 percent of the U.S. population, but accounted for just 2 percent to 3 percent of voters in the 2004 presidential election,” notes Janelle Staci Wong, assistant professor of political science and American studies and ethnicity.

“Since 1996, Asian American voters have leaned Democrat, but not overwhelmingly so. These relatively unpredictable partisan loyalties discourage campaigns from mobilizing the community, as parties and candidate organizations fear getting out the vote among individuals who do not promise guaranteed support,” Wong adds.

“Further depressing Asian American participation is the fact that only 20 percent of all Asian Americans (compared with 40 percent of non-Latino whites) lived in states considered battlegrounds in 2000 and 2004,” Wong explains. “Consequently, Asian Americans are about one-half as likely as are non-Latino whites to live in the states that were the focus of the past two presidential campaigns and most intense mobilization efforts.

“Still, in a close election, Asian Americans may provide the critical votes needed to win,” she says.