The Asian American Vote

A Report on the Multilingual Exit Poll from the 2012 Presidential Election

Pennsylvania

A Special Presentation ofThe Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund

AALDEF Mission and Program

AALDEF is a national organization that protects and promotes the legal rights of Asian Americans through litigation, legal advocacy, and community education.

• Immigrants’ Rights• Workers’ Rights - sweatshops, restaurants, construction, Katrina • Language Rights - hospitals and courts • Educational Equity / Youth Rights • Human Trafficking • Voting Rights • New Jersey Legal Project • Housing

Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund

2012 Exit Poll Presentation, page 2

Asian American Election Protection

National Election Protection Project and 100 local partnerships

Poll Monitoring • Compliance - Voting Rights Act and Help America Vote Act• Post Election - voter interviews and complaint letters• 2012 - attorneys covered 46 poll sites in 6 cities

Multilingual Exit Poll • 2012 – 9,096 Asian American voters in 14 states and DC• 2010 – 3,721 Asian American voters in 5 states• 2008 – 16,665 Asian American voters in 11 states and DC• 2006 – 4,726 Asian American voters in 9 states and DC• 2004 – 10,789 Asian American voters in 8 states• 2002 - 3,500 Asian American voters in 4 states

Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund

2012 Exit Poll Presentation, page 3

Profile of Asian American Exit Poll Respondents Pennsylvania - 2012

Percentage of Voters Asian American respondents

100% 253 Total Surveyed

35% Chinese

24% Vietnamese

13% South Asian

12% Cambodian

5% Filipino

4% Korean

7% Other Asian Ethnicities

20% Born in the U.S.

80% Foreign born, naturalized citizen:

6% …0-2 years ago

11% …3-5 years ago

15% …6-10 years ago

48% …more than 10 years ago

30% No formal education in US

70% Educated in the U.S., highest level:

5% …Elementary school

1% …Some high school

17% …High school trade school degree

34% …College or university degree

13% … Advanced degree Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund

2012 Exit Poll Presentation, page 4

Is this your First Time Voting?

28%

72%

Pennsylvania(253 surveyed)

YesNo

27%

73%

All Asian Americans

Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund

2012 Exit Poll Presentation, page 5

Chinese (PA)

Vietnamese (PA)

PENNSYLVANIA

ALL ASIAN AMERICANS

Cambodian (PA)

30%

36%

47%

63%

64%

17%

19%

17%

21%

15%

41%

37%

28%

12%

14%

12%

8%

8%

4%

7%

Very Well Moderate Not Well Not at All

Limited English Proficiency by Ethnicity

Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund

2012 Exit Poll Presentation, page 6

Party Enrollment

Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund

2012 Exit Poll Presentation, page 7

68%10

%

22%

Pennsylvania Respondents

DemocratsRepublicansNot EnrolledOther Party

ALL ASIAN AMERICANS

Vietnamese (PA)

Cambodian (PA)

PENNSYLVANIA

Chinese (PA)

21%

19%

17%

9%

4%

77%

77%

78%

89%

96%

Voted for Romney - R Voted for Obama - D

Vote for President by Ethnicity

Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund

2012 Exit Poll Presentation, page 8

Vote for U.S. Senate

Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund

2012 Exit Poll Presentation, page 9

Vote for U.S. House of Representatives

State Democratic Candidate

Asian American Vote Overall Vote % Republican

CandidateAsian

American Vote Overall Vote %

PA Robert Casey* 76% 54% Tom Smith 10% 45%

State Congressional District

Democratic Candidate

Asian American

VoteOverall

VoteRepublican Candidate

Asian American

VoteOverall

Vote

PA1 Robert

Brady* 92% 85% John Featherman 8% 15%

2 Chaka Fattah* 80% 89% Robert

Mansfield 17% 9%

All Asian Amer-icans

Pennsylvania Respondents

14%

8%

65%

69%

Oppose Support

Comprehensive immigration reform, including a path to citizenship for undocumented people

Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund

2012 Exit Poll Presentation, page 10

Immigration Reform and Party

Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund

2012 Exit Poll Presentation, page 11

Democratic

Republican

Not enrolled in any party

46%

35%

7%

32%

40%

32%

5%

5%

9%

1%

4%

16%

20%

48%

Strongly support Support Oppose

Strongly oppose Don't know

Voted for Bob Casey Jr. (Dem) 40% 34% 4%

1%21%

Strongly Support Support Oppose Strongly Oppose Don't Know

Immigration Reform and Vote for Senate

Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund

2012 Exit Poll Presentation, page 12

Voted for Chaka Fattah (Dem)*

Voted for Robert Brady (Dem)*

44%

40%

36%

29%

2%

3%

18%

27%

3%

DISTRICT 1

DISTRICT 2

Immigration Reform and Vote for House of Representatives

Main source of news about politics and community issues …

Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund

2012 Exit Poll Presentation, page 13

Cambodian (PA)

PENNSYLVANIA

Vietnamese (PA)

Chinese (PA)

20%

43%

44%

67%

40%

14%

7%

7%

40%

43%

49%

26%

Ethnic Media in Asian LanguageEthnic Media in EnglishMainstream English Language Media

Voting Problems in Pennsylvania

• 47 had to show ID but were not required by law

• 8 were required to prove their U.S. citizenship

• 10 complained that their names were missing or had errors in the list of voters at poll sites

• 6 had to vote by provisional ballot

• 2 voters complained that poll workers did not know what to do

• 1 voters complained that poll workers were rude or hostile

• 5 voters complained that no interpreters or translations were available when they needed the help

• 3 were directed to the wrong poll site or voting machine/table within a site

Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund

2012 Exit Poll Presentation, page 14

National Co-Sponsors

Alliance of South Asian American LaborAsian Pacific American Labor Alliance APIAVoteCommon CauseLawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law National Asian Pacific American Bar AssociationNational Coalition of Asian Pacific American Community DevelopmentNational Korean American Service & Education ConsortiumNational Queer Asian Pacific Islander AllianceNorth American South Asian Bar Association OCA (formerly the Organization of Chinese Americans)South Asian Americans Leading Together

Local Co-Sponsors

ACCESS – MIAPALA – NevadaAPIA Vote – MichiganAsian American Federation of Florida – FL Asian American Society of Central VirginiaBoat People SOS Delaware Valley – PACAAAV – NYCambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia – PACenter for Pan Asian Community Services – GAChhaya CDC - NYChinese-American Planning Council – NYChinese Community Federation of Atlanta – GAChinese Progressive Association – MACoalition of Asian Pacific Americans of VirginiaEast Coast Asian American Student UnionGay Asian and Pacific Islander Men of New YorkHunter College/CUNY, Asian American Studies Program – NYKorean American Civic Empowerment of NY/NJKorean American Resource and Cultural Center - ILMinKwon Center for Community Action – NYNAAAP – New YorkNAAAP - PhiladelphiaNANAY – FLNAPAWF-DCNAPAWF-NYCOCA: GeorgiaOCA: Greater HoustonOCA: South FloridaPace University, ACE House – NYPennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship CoalitionPhiladelphia Chinatown Development Corporation – PAPrinceton University, Asian American Students Association – NJQ-WAVE – NYSouth Asian Lesbian & Gay Association of New York CityUniversity of California San Diego, Lambda Phi EpsilonUniversity of Maryland, College Park, Asian American Studies ProgramUniversity of Massachusetts Boston, Asian American Studies ProgramVietnamese American Young Leaders Association of New Orleans

Thanks to our co-sponsors!

Legal Co-Sponsors

Asian American Bar Association of Houston Asian American Bar Association of New York Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts Asian American Legal Advocacy Center, Inc. of GeorgiaAsian Bar Association of Las Vegas – NVAsian Pacific American Bar Association of the Greater Washington, DC AreaAsian Pacific American Bar Association of Pennsylvania Asian Pacific American Bar Association of South Florida Asian Pacific American Lawyers Association of NJAsian Pacific American Legal Resource Center – DC Filipino American Legal Defense & Education Fund, Inc. – NYGeorgia Asian Pacific American Bar Association Greater Boston Legal Services: Asian Outreach UnitKorean American Bar Association of the Greater Washington DC AreaKorean American Lawyers Association of Greater NYLouisiana Asian Pacific American Bar Association Muslim American Bar Association of New YorkPace Law School, Public Interest Law Center – NY South Asian Bar Association of New York South Asian Bar Association of Washington, DC Suffolk University Law School, Rappaport Center for Law and Public ServiceUniversity of Pennsylvania School of Law, Public Interest Office

and Asian Pacific American Law Student Association chapters across the country.

The Asian American Vote

A Report on the Multilingual Exit Poll from the 2012 Presidential Election

Pennsylvania

For more information, contact: AALDEF 99 Hudson Street, 12F New York, NY 10013 Phone: 212.966.5932 Fax: 212.966.4303 Email: info@aaldef.org Website: www.aaldef.org

©AALDEF 2013