the asian american vote in the 2014 midterm elections · during the 2014 midterm elections, asian...
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The Asian American Vote in the
2014 Midterm Elections A REPORT OF THE ASIAN AMERICAN LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATION FUND
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III.
II.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary………………………………………………………………. 2
Methodology…………….…………………………………………….……..…… 4
Profile of Survey Respondents……………………….…………………....……… 5
The Asian American Vote ……………..…………………..……………………… Important Factors… ………..….……………………………….………................. U.S. Senate Races……………………….……………………………….………... U.S. House of Representatives Races……………………………….……………..
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Access to the Vote…………………………………………………………………. Language Assistance ……………………………………………………………… Voting Barriers …………………………………………………………………….
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Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………. 17
Appendix…………………………………………………………………………… Acknowledgments………………………………………………………………….
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The Issues………………………………………......………….....………….......... Executive Action on Immigration Reform………………………………………... LGBT Issues……………….………………………………......…………..............
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY On November 4, 2014, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), with the help of over 580 attorneys, law students, and community volunteers, conducted a nonpartisan, multilingual exit poll of Asian American voters in 11 states – Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia – and Washington, DC. AALDEF’s exit poll, the largest survey of its kind in the nation, surveyed 4,102 Asian American voters at 63 poll sites in 31 cities. The exit poll was conducted in English and 11 Asian languages. AALDEF has conducted exit polls in every major election since 1988. The mainstream media often reports on the racial breakdowns of voters: Whites, African Americans, Latinos, and “Others.” As a result, politicians and policymakers overlook the needs of the Asian American community. When the media does report on the Asian American vote, the data may be skewed because surveys are conducted only in English or include only the largest Asian ethnic populations. Multilingual exit polls provide a more comprehensive portrait of Asian American voters than surveys done only in English. AALDEF’s exit poll reveals details about the Asian American community, including voter preferences on candidates, party enrollment, issues, and language needs. Profile of Respondents The five largest Asian ethnic groups polled in 2014 were Chinese (37%), South Asian (26%), Korean (13%), Southeast Asian (12%), and Filipino (6%). South Asian includes Asian Indian, Bangladeshi, Indo-Caribbean, and Pakistani. Southeast Asian includes Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Thai. More than four out of five (84%) of respondents were foreign-born. Almost half (45%) described themselves as limited English proficient, and (10%) were first-time voters during the November 2014 Midterm Elections. Democratic Majority The majority (57%) of Asian Americans were enrolled in the Democratic Party, 14% were enrolled in the Republican Party, and 26% were not enrolled in any political party. Common Political Interests Asian Americans are a diverse community, coming from different countries and speaking different languages and dialects. In the political arena, however, Asian American voters share common political interests across ethnic lines. During the 2014 midterm elections, Asian Americans voted as a bloc for the same candidates and identified common reasons for their vote. Respondents identified Economy/Jobs (55%), Health Care (37%), Education (35%), and Immigration (21%) as the top issues that influenced their vote in the 2014 Midterm election. The majority of Asian Americans (65%) showed strong support for executive action on immigration. Support for immigration action cut across party lines, with 74% of Asian
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American Democrats and 58% of Asian American Independents showing support, with only 39% of Republicans supporting executive action. Support for LGBT issues increased among Asian Americans since the last election. Overall, more than one-half (56%) of Asian Americans supported protections for the LGBT community, 24% were opposed, and the remaining 20% said that they “don’t know.” This represents a 19% increase of Asian Americans who support LGBT issues and a 24% decrease in those opposed over the previous two years. Language Access Language assistance and bilingual ballots are needed to preserve access to the vote. 45% of Asian Americans were limited English proficient. 15% identified English as their native language. Over one-quarter (26%) of Asian Americans said they preferred voting with the assistance of an interpreter or translated materials. 12% of those surveyed said that they had difficulty voting because there was no assistance in their native language. Voting Barriers AALDEF received more than 80 complaints of voting problems. Asian American voters were unlawfully required to provide identification to vote, mistreated by hostile or poorly-trained poll workers, denied Asian-language assistance, and found their names missing from or misspelled in the poll books. Copies of this report can be obtained online at www.aaldef.org or by contacting the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund at 1-800-966-5946 or [email protected].
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METHODOLOGY On November 4, 2014, AALDEF surveyed 4,102 Asian American voters at 63 poll sites in 31 cities across 11 states–Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia–and Washington, DC. The cities and states selected for the exit poll were among those with the largest or fastest-growing Asian American populations according to the 2010 U.S. Census. Poll sites with large concentrations of Asian American voters were selected based on voter registration files, census data, interviews with local elections officials and community leaders, and a history of voting problems.
542 volunteer exit pollsters were stationed at poll sites throughout the day, generally between 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Volunteers were recruited by co-sponsoring organizations, including community-based organizations, law firms, bar associations, as well as Asian Pacific American Law Student Association chapters and undergraduate student associations and classes. All volunteers were trained in conducting the exit poll. All were nonpartisan. Volunteers were instructed to approach all Asian American voters as they were leaving poll sites to ask them to complete anonymous questionnaires.
Survey questionnaires were written in English and 11 Asian languages: Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Gujarati, Hindi, Khmer, Korean, Punjabi, Tagalog, Urdu, and Vietnamese. Volunteers were conversant in thirty-two (32) Asian languages and dialects: Chinese dialects (Cantonese, Fujianese, Mandarin, Shanghainese, Sichuanese, Taiwanese, Teochew, Toisan, Wenzhounese), South Asian languages (Bengali, Farsi, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu), Southeast Asian languages (Burmese, Hmong, Indonesian, Khmer, Thai, Vietnamese), Filipino dialects (Ilonggo, Tagalog), Arabic, Japanese, and Korean.
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I. PROFILE OF SURVEY RESPONDENTS Ethnicity Fig. 1. Profile of Survey Respondents Survey respondents were Chinese (37%), Korean (13%), Bangladeshi (12%), Vietnamese (11%), Asian Indian (11%), Filipino (6%), Pakistani (2%), Arab (1%), and Cambodian (1%). The remaining respondents were of other Asian ethnicities, such as Japanese, Thai, Nepalese, and multiracial Asians. Language While 15% of respondents identified English as their native language, 31% identified one or more Chinese dialects as their native language, 20% spoke one or more South Asian languages (including Bengali, Hindi, Gujarati, Urdu, Punjabi, Tamil), 12% spoke one or more Southeast Asian languages (including Vietnamese, Khmer), 12% spoke Korean, 4% spoke Tagalog, and 5% identified another Asian language as their native language. Among South Asian voters, 45% selected Bengali as their native language, 10% selected Gujurati, 9% selected Hindi, 7% selected Urdu, and 3% selected Punjabi. Among Southeast Asian voters, 85% selected Vietnamese as their native language, and 8% selected Khmer.
Limited English Proficiency Almost half (45%) of Asian voters surveyed said they were limited English proficient, which is defined as reading English less than “very well.” Among first-time voters, 48% were limited English proficient. Of all language groups polled, Korean American voters exhibited the highest rate of limited English proficiency at 69%. Similarly, 64% of Chinese American and 63% of Vietnamese American voters expressed at least some difficulty reading English.
Percentage of Voters Asian American respondents
100% 4,102 Total Surveyed
37 Chinese
26 South Asian
13 Korean
11 Vietnamese
6 Filipino
8 Other Asian Ethnicities
16 Born in the U.S.
84 Foreign born, naturalized citizen:
7 … 0-2 years ago
9 … 3-5 years ago
15 … 6-10 years ago
53 … more than 10 years ago
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Among South Asian Americans, although Asian Indian American voters were largely proficient in English, almost half (46%) of Bangladeshi American voters were limited English proficient. Fig. 2. English Proficiency by Language Group
26% of respondents indicated that they preferred to vote with the help of an interpreter and/or translated materials.
Fig. 3. First-Time Voters First-Time Voting 10% of Asian Americans surveyed said that they voted for the first time in the November 2014 Midterm Elections. The highest rates of first-time voters were among South and Southeast Asians, with 15% of Vietnamese, 13% of Bangladeshi, 11% of Filipinos, and 10% of Cambodians voting for the first time. Age 19% of respondents were between the ages of 50 to 59. An additional nineteen percent (19%) were between 60 to 69 years old. 18% were between 40 to 49 years old. 17% were 70 years old or above. 16% were between 30 to 39 years old. 11% were between 18 to 29 years old. Gender The gender distribution of those polled was split almost evenly, with 51% of respondents male and 49% female. Party Affiliation The majority (57%) of Asian American respondents were enrolled in the Democratic Party, 14% were enrolled in the Republican Party, and 26% of all Asian American respondents were not enrolled in any party. There was some variation among ethnicities. Enrollment in the Democratic Party was highest among South Asian ethnicities. 82% of Bangladeshi, 72% of Indo-Caribbean, 67% of Pakistani, and 58% of Asian Indian American voters were enrolled as Democrats, compared to 57% of all
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0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Pakistani
Bengladeshi
Cambodian
Vietnamese
Korean
Chinese
Not at all
Not well
Moderate
Very well
Ethnicity % Vietnamese 15% Bangladeshi 13% Filipino 11% Asian Indian 10% All Asian Americans 10% Indo-Caribbean 9% Chinese 9% Arab 8% Pakistani 8% Korean 6%
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Asian Americans surveyed nationally. Vietnamese American respondents exhibited higher rates of enrollment in the Republican Party at 29%. 43% of Vietnamese Americans and 31% of Chinese Americans were not enrolled in any political party, the highest rates of all the groups surveyed. Fig. 4. Asian American Party Enrollment by Ethnicity
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0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
South Asian
Korean
Chinese
Filipino
Vietnamese
Democrat
Republican
Independent
Other
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II. THE ASIAN AMERICAN VOTE
Asian Americans generally demonstrated political unity, even across ethnic lines. With the exception of Vietnamese American voters, Asian Americans largely voted as a bloc for Democratic candidates. Important Factors Influencing Midterm Election Voters The most important factors influencing the vote for Congress were Economy/Jobs (55%), Health Care (37%), Education (35%), and Immigration (21%). Other important factors included Terrorism/Security (13%) and Crime (11%). Fig. 5. Vote for U.S. Senate
U.S. Senate Races by State 70% of Asian Americans polled voted for the Democratic senatorial candidates, and 21% voted for the Republican candidates. In Georgia, the Asian American vote was split, with 52% of Asian Americans voting for Democratic candidate Michelle Nunn, and 45% voting for Republican U.S. Senator David Perdue. In comparison, 53% of the Georgia electorate voted for Perdue.
In Louisiana, 32% of Asian Americans voted for former Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu, while 55% voted for either Republican U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy or Republican candidate Rob Maness. In comparison, 42% of the Louisiana electorate voted for Landrieu. In Massachusetts, 73% of Asian Americans voted for Democratic U.S. Senator Edward Markey, while only 19% voted for Republican candidate Brian Herr. In comparison, 62% of the Massachusetts electorate voted for Markey. In Michigan, 80% of Asian Americans voted for Democratic U.S. Senator Gary Peters, while only 15% voted for Republican candidate Terri Lynn Land. In comparison, 55% of the Michigan electorate voted for Peters. In New Jersey, 79% of Asian Americans voted for Democratic U.S. Senator Cory Booker, while only 16% voted for Jeff Bell. In comparison, 56% of the electorate voted for Booker. In Texas, 42% of Asian Americans voted for Democratic candidate David Alameel, while 53% voted for Republican U.S. Senator John Cornyn. 34% of the Texas electorate voted for Alameel and 62% for Cornyn.
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3 6 Democrat
Republican
Other
Did not vote
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In Virginia, 66% of Asian Americans voted for Democratic U.S. Senator Mark Warner, while 33% voted for Republican candidate Ed Gillespie. In comparison, 49% of the Virginia electorate voted for Warner and 48% for Gillespie in a hotly contested race. Fig. 6. Vote for Senate by State
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VIRGINIA Mark Warner -‐ D Ed Gillespie -‐ R
TEXAS David Alameel -‐ D John Cornyn -‐ R
NEW JERSEY Cory Booker -‐ D Jeff Bell -‐ R
MICHIGAN Gary Peters -‐ D
Terri Lynn Land -‐ R
MASSACHUSETTS Edward Markey -‐ D
Brian Herr -‐ R
LOUISIANA Mary Landrieu -‐ D Rob Manes -‐ R
GEORGIA Michelle Nunn -‐ D David Perdue -‐ R
Democrat
Republican
Other
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U.S. House of Representative Races by State Fig. 7. Vote for the House of Representatives 72% of Asian Americans polled voted for the Democratic House candidates, and 20% voted for the Republican candidates. However, results varied by congressional district. In the swing state of Nevada, 50% of Asian Americans voted for Democratic Representative Dina Titus in the 1st district, compared to 34% who voted for Republican candidate Annette Teijeiro. This marks a change from 2012, when over 80% of Asian Americans voted for Titus. In Pennsylvania, Asian Americans showed strong support for Democratic Representatives Robert Brady (83%) in the 1st district and Chaka Fattah (76%) in the 2nd district. In Georgia, the majority of Asian Americans supported Democratic candidate Bob Montigel (68%) in the 6th district and Republican representative Robert Woodall (57%) in the 7th district. In Virginia, the majority of Asian Americans supported Democratic Representative Jim Moran (85%) in the 8th district but was split between Democratic Representative Gerry Connolly (51%) and Republican candidate Suzanne Scholte (48%) in the 11th district. In Texas’ 22nd district, Republican Representative Pete Olson was successful in gaining more support from Asian Americans. Only 34% of Asian Americans voted for Olson in 2012, compared to 55% who voted for him in this election. 45% of Asian Americans voted for Democrat Frank Briscoe.
In New York, Asian Americans showed overwhelming support for the Democratic candidate. For example, 84% of Asian Americans in the 7th district voted for Representative Nydia Velazquez. In the 2014 November Midterm Elections, Asian Americans as a whole showed strong support for Democratic congressional candidates. Although there were slight variations by ethnic group and geographic location, most of these differences were not as wide as in past elections. The Asian American community is a diverse and growing segment of the
population. AALDEF’s Asian American exit poll revealed that language assistance and bilingual ballots are needed to preserve access to the vote, especially for almost half (45%) of Asian Americans who are limited English proficient.
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Fig. 8. Asian American Vote for Congress (Selected Districts)
State Congressional District Democratic Candidate Asian
American Vote Republican Candidate Asian American Vote
DC At-Large Eleanor Norton 67% Nelson Rimensnyder 4%
GA 4 Hank Johnson* N/A N/A N/A 6 Bob Montigel 68% Tom Price* 21% 7 Thomas Wright 39% Robert Woodall* 57%
LA 2 Cedric Richmond* N/A N/A N/A
MA 3 Niki Tsongas* 87% Roseann Wofford 3% 7 Michael Capuano* N/A N/A N/A 8 Stephen Lynch* N/A N/A N/A
MD 3 John Sarbanes* 74% Charles Long 22% 8 Chris Van Hollen* 67% Dave Wallace 33%
MI 11 Bobby McKenzie 75% Dave Trott* 22% 12 Debbie Dingell* 78% Terry Bowman 19% 14 Brenda Lawrence* 92% Christina Barr 3%
NJ 5 Roy Cho 89 Scott Garrett* 7 6 Frank Pallone* 80% Anthony Wilkinson 16%
10 Donald Payne Jr.* 69% Yolanda Dentley 25% NV 1 Dina Titus* 50% Annette Teijeiro 34%
NY
6 Grace Meng* N/A N/A N/A 7 Nydia Velázquez* 84% Jose Luiz Fernandez 12% 9 Yvette Clark* N/A N/A N/A
10 Jerrold Nadler* N/A N/A N/A 14 Joseph Crowley* N/A N/A N/A
PA 1 Robert Brady* 83% Megan Rath 24% 2 Chaka Fattah* 76% Armond James 24%
TX 9 Al Green* N/A N/A N/A
22 Frank Briscoe 45% Pete Olson* 55%
VA 8 Jim Moran* 85% Micah Edmond 15%
11 Gerry Connolly* 51% Suzanne Scholte 48% * Winning
Candidate
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III. THE ISSUES
Executive Action on Immigration The majority of Asian Americans (65%) showed strong support for executive action on immigration, although there was some variation among ethnic groups. Fig. 9. Support for Executive Action
Support for executive action on immigration was consistent across almost all ethnic groups. 83% of Bangladeshi, 78% of Pakistani, and 72% of Korean voters believed that Obama should take executive action on immigration. In contrast, 55% of Chinese voters and 49% of Vietnamese voters believed the same. Support for executive action on immigration was also consistent between naturalized and U.S. born Asian American citizens. 63% of naturalized citizens and 70% of U.S. born citizens
believed that President Obama should take executive action on immigration. The highest support came from citizens who were naturalized 3-5 years ago (74%), while the lowest amount of support came from citizens who were naturalized over ten years ago (61%). Nearly half (48%) of Asian American voters were influenced by a candidate’s position on immigration. 47% of Democratic voters were more likely to vote for a candidate based on their stance on immigration, while only 36% of Republican voters and 33% of independent voters were more likely to do so. Different ethnic groups were more likely to vote for a candidate based on his or her position on immigration. The groups that were more likely to vote for a candidate based on their stance on immigration were Korean (60%) and Bangladeshi (51%), while 59% of Chinese and 54% of Vietnamese voters stated that a candidate’s position on immigration would make no difference. Executive action on immigration was a partisan issue for Asian Americans. 74% of Democratic voters supported executive action on immigration, compared to 58% of independent voters and only 39% of Republican voters. Protection of the LGBT community An increasing number of Asian American voters supported laws protecting the LGBT community. 56% of voters surveyed supported protections for LGBT people, while 25% were opposed. 20% said that they were unsure. In 2012, 48% of voters opposed same-sex marriage. The majority of Asian ethnic groups also supported protections of the LGBT community including 74% of Filipinos, 68% of Asian Indian, 58% of Chinese, and 51% of Vietnamese Americans. However, evn within these communities, the rate of voters who said that they “don’t
Ethnicity % Bangladeshi 83% Pakistani 78% Korean 72% Asian Indian 67% Filipino 66% All Asian Americans 65% Chinese 55% Vietnamese 49%
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know” was high. 15% of Filipino, 18% of Asian Indian, 22% of Chinese, and 22% of Vietnamese Americans said that they were “unsure.” Although support for protections for the LGBT community varied among key swing states, such as Nevada (59%), Pennsylvania (63%), Virginia (53%), and Georgia (49%), the rate of those who were undecided was fairly high. 26% of Asian American voters in Nevada, 22% in Georgia, 15% in Virginia, and 20% in Pennsylvania said that they were “unsure.” Results were similar in the breakdown by political affiliation. 61% of Democrats supported the rights of LGBT people, although 18% stated that they were “unsure." Only 40% of Republicans said that they supported the rights of the LGBT community, while 21% said that they were “unsure." 53% of independent voters supported increased protection for LGBT people, and 22% said that they were “unsure”.
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IV. ACCESS TO THE VOTE The federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 ensures that all American citizens can fully exercise their right to vote. It protects racial, ethnic and language minorities from voter discrimination and ensures equal access to the vote.
Fig. 10. Asian Language Coverage Under Section 203 Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act, also known as the Language Access Provisions, covers 11 states and 22 cities and counties for eight Asian language groups: Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Bangladeshi, Japanese, “Asian Indian” (which has been designated as Bengali in Queens County, New York and as Hindi in Cook County, Illinois and Los Angeles County, California) and “Other” (which has been designated as Khmer and Thai in Los Angeles County, California). Section 203 covers a jurisdiction, or political subdivision, when the Census Bureau certifies that more than 10,000 or 5% of all voting age citizens in that jurisdiction, who are of the same language minority group — Alaskan Native, Asian, Spanish, or Native American — are limited English proficient (LEP), and have an average illiteracy rate higher than the national average. Section 208 of the federal Voting Rights Act gives voters the right to an assistor of choice, with the exception of the voter’s employer or union representative. If a voter needs assistance to cast a ballot, the assistor can accompany the voter into the voting booth. Language Assistance AALDEF’s exit poll results showed that only 15% of Asian Americans identified English as their native language. 46% were limited English proficient. 25% of respondents said that they preferred to vote with the assistance of an interpreter and/or translated materials. Under Section 203, certain jurisdictions where the exit poll was conducted were mandated to provide Asian language assistance, such as translated ballots, instructions, and interpreters. Other jurisdictions provided voluntary language assistance.
Asian Language Coverage Under Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act
after Census 2010 (New languages since the 2010 Census identified below in bold).
ALASKA -- Aleutians East Borough: Filipino -- Aleutians West Census Area: Filipino CALIFORNIA -- Alameda: Chinese, Filipino, Vietnamese -- Los Angeles: Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino,
Vietnamese, Indian, Other (not specified) -- Orange: Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese -- Sacramento: Chinese -- San Diego: Filipino, Chinese, Vietnamese -- San Francisco: Chinese -- San Mateo: Chinese -- Santa Clara: Chinese, Filipino, Vietnamese HAWAII -- Honolulu: Chinese, Filipino, Japanese -- Maui: Filipino ILLINOIS -- Cook: Chinese, Indian MASSACHUSETTS -- Quincy city: Chinese MICHIGAN -- Hamtramck city: Bangladeshi NEVADA -- Clark: Filipino NEW JERSEY -- Bergen: Korean NEW YORK -- Kings (Brooklyn): Chinese -- New York (Manhattan): Chinese -- Queens: Chinese, Korean, Indian TEXAS -- Harris: Vietnamese, Chinese WASHINGTON -- King: Chinese, Vietnamese
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Fig. 11 AALDEF Multilingual Exit Poll: Language Minority Groups (Selected Localities)
STATE - LOCALITY
LANGUAGE MINORITY GROUP
LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENT
PREFERS VOTING WITH ASSISTANCE OF INTERPRETER OR TRANSLATED MATERIALS
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA - DISTRICT OF
COLUMBIA Chinese 17% 13% GEORGIA - DEKALB CO. Vietnamese 46% 23% - GWINNETT CO. Korean 68% 6% Chinese 29% 9% LOUISIANA - NEW ORLEANS Vietnamese 77% 38% MARYLAND - MONTGOMERY CO. Chinese 29% 0% Korean 47% 13% Vietnamese 11% 13% MASSACHUSETTS - BOSTON Chinese 53% 24% Vietnamese 69% 51% - LOWELL Cambodian 43% 30% - QUINCY Chinese 38% 23%
Vietnamese 57% 43% MICHIGAN - DETROIT Bengali 57% 48% - HAMTRAMCK Bengali 42% 15% NEW JERSEY - BERGEN CO. Korean 70% 17% - HUDSON CO. Asian Indian 33% 19% - MIDDLESEX Asian Indian 11% 3% NEW YORK - BROOKLYN Chinese 53% 42% Bengali 39% 20% - MANHATTAN Chinese 60% 46% - QUEENS Chinese 65% 39% Korean 83% 47% Bengali 50% 30% PENNSYLVANIA - PHILADELPHIA Chinese 62% 46% Vietnamese 86% 43% TEXAS - FORT BEND Vietnamese 24% 8% - HARRIS Chinese 62% 23%
Vietnamese 49% 18% VIRGINIA - FAIRFAX CO. Korean 72% 16%
Vietnamese 65% 18%
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For example, in New York City, Chinese language assistance is required in Kings County (Brooklyn) and New York County (Manhattan), and Chinese, Korean, and Bengali are required in Queens County. Boston, Massachusetts was required to provide bilingual ballots in Chinese and Vietnamese under Voting Rights Act litigation and now by state legislation. Voting Barriers Asian Americans were also polled on voting issues they encountered on Election Day. Of those surveyed, improper requests for identification, missing or misspelled names in voter rolls, rude or hostile poll workers, and lack of language access were among the most common problems. Similar to other voters, Asian Americans also faced long lines, machine breakdowns, misdirection to poll sites, and inadequate notification of site assignments or changes. Fig. 12. Voting Access Issues
Common Obstacles Encountered by Asian American Voters Complaint/Problem Voters
Required to prove U.S. citizenship 74 Name missing/incorrect 52 Voted by provisional ballot 46 No interpreters/translated materials 68 Poll workers poorly trained 33 Directed to wrong poll site/precinct voting booth 31 Poll workers were rude/hostile 13 Voting machine broken 19
For more information on voting barriers, see AALDEF’s report, Asian American Access to Democracy in the 2014 Elections, downloadable at www.aaldef.org.
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Conclusion The Asian American population is the fastest growing racial group in the nation. Asian Americans are increasingly becoming citizens and seek to participate in the political franchise, but mainstream media exit polls and politicians have often overlooked them. More outreach is needed, especially to older and limited English proficient Asian Americans. Moreover, Asian Americans still encounter many voting barriers, as in past elections. Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act has expanded coverage of language assistance to additional jurisdictions, but there are still some shortcomings in local compliance. Aggressive voting rights enforcement is needed to ensure that all Americans can fully exercise their right to vote. AALDEF’s exit poll shows that Asian Americans strongly supported Democratic candidates in the 2014 Midterm Elections. In addition, Asian Americans believe that Economy/Jobs, Health Care, Education, and Immigrant Rights are all important issues that need to be addressed by elected officials. Asian Americans also strongly support executive action on immigration and show increasing support for the LGBT people. Many U.S. Senate and House representatives received strong support from their Asian American constituents. These elected representatives should advocate for legislation that will address the needs and concerns of the Asian American community.
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APPENDIX
A. Poll Site Locations
State County City Poll Site
DC District of Columbia Washington
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library
PS 22 Thomas Jefferson
Trinity A.M.E. Zion Church
GA
DeKalb Doraville Oakcliff Elementary School
Gwinnett Norcross Lucky Shoals Community Center
Duluth Hull Middle School
LA Orleans New Orleans
Mary Queen of Vietnam Church
Engine House #37
Sarah Reed High School
MA
Suffolk Boston
Metropolitan Community Room
Catherine F. Clark Apartments
Cathedral High School
Middlesex Lowell Senior Center
Norfolk Quincy North Quincy High School
MD Montgomery Rockville Richard Montgomery High School
Silver Spring White Oak Middle School
MI
Washtenaw Ann Arbor Clague Middle School
Wayne
Canton Summit on the Park
Hamtramck Hamtramck Community Center
Detroit Transfiguration Church
Kent Gaines Gaines Township Office
Oakland Troy First United Methodist Church
NJ
Bergen
Closter Tenakill Middle School
Demarest County Road School
Old Tappan Charles DeWolf Middle School
Norwood Norwood Municipal Complex & Community Center
Hudson Jersey City Brunswick Towers
Fire House
Middlesex Edison John Adams Middle School
NV Clark Las Vegas Seafood City
NY
Kings
Midwood PS 217
Kensington PS 230
Sunset Park PS 314
New York Manhattan
Confucius Plaza
PS 2
PS 126
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PS 130
PS 131
Queens
Elmhurst Newtown High School
Flushing
PS 20
JHS 189
PS 214
St. Andrews School
PS 22 Thomas Jefferson
Jackson Heights IS 230
PS 69
Jamaica PS 131
Richmond Hill PS 64
Woodside PS 12
PA
Bucks Bensalem St. Mary Family Resource Center
Philadelphia
Chinatown
Chinese Church & Christian Center
Harrison College House
St. George Greek Orthodox Church
Thomas Jefferson Alumni Hall
South Philadelphia Reed Street Presbyterian Church
South Philadelphia High School
TX
Fort Bend Sugar Land Barrington Place Homeowners Association
Sartartia Middle School
Harris Houston
Chancellor Elementary School
Alief Middle School
Houston Community College Alief Center
VA
Arlington Arlington Fire Station #10
Fairfax Annandale Annandale Fire Station Co., #8
Falls Church Baileys Elementary School
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B. Acknowledgments
The following groups helped to mobilize more than 580 volunteers to conduct the nation’s largest Asian American exit poll survey and election monitoring program.
National Co-Sponsors Alliance of South Asian American Labor APIA Vote Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights National Asian Pacific American Bar Association NAAAP NAPAWF National Education Association National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance OCA South Asian Americans Leading Together Local Co-Sponsors Adhikaar APIA Vote – Michigan Chapter BP SOS CAAAV Chhaya CDC Center for Pan Asian Community Services Chinese-American Planning Council - Youth Division DC Asian American LEAD Gay Asian Pacific Islander Men of NY MinKwon Center for Community Action NAAAP - NY NAPAWF - DC NAPAWF - NY OCA - Greater DC Educational Institutions American University APALSA/SALSA Boston College APALSA Boston College Asian Caucus Boston University School of Law Brandeis Asian American Student Association Brooklyn Law School Cardozo Law School APALSA Columbia University APALSA Columbia School of Social Work CUNY Hunter Drexel APALSA Fordham APALSA Harvard University (Alumni) Hunter College - AAS Program NYU APALSA NYU Law School Pace University - Public Interest Office Princeton Asian American Student Association Queens College - Asian/Asian American Center Rutgers APALSA
St. Johns APALSA Temple APALSA/SALSA Tufts Asian American Alliance UMass Boston Asian American Studies Program University of Maryland - College Park U. Mich APALSA/SALSA University of Nevada at Las Vegas, Boyd School of Law APALSA UPENN APALSA Law Firm Co-Sponsors BakerHostetler Ballard Spahr LLP Cadwalader, Wickersham and Taft LLP Chadbourne & Parke LLP Crowell & Moring LLP Debevoise & Plimpton LLP Dentons US LLP DLA Piper Edwards Wildman LP Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP Fish & Richardson P.C. Fulbright & Jaworski LLP Hogan Lovells LLP Jenner & Block McCarter & English LLP Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP Morrison & Foerster LLP Paul Hastings LLP Ropes & Gray LLP Shearman & Sterling LLP Stone Bonner & Rocco LLP Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP White & Case LLP Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP Legal Co-Sponsors Asian American Bar Association of New York Asian Pacific American Bar Association of DC Asian Pacific American Bar Association of NJ Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York Korean American Bar Association of Greater DC Muslim Bar Association of New York South Asian Bar Association of North America South Asian Bar Association of Washington DC South Asian Bar Association of NY
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Founded in 1974, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) 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. AALDEF focuses on critical issues affecting Asian Americans, including immigrant rights, voting rights and civic participation, economic justice for workers, educational equity, housing and environmental justice, and the elimination of anti-Asian violence, police misconduct, and human trafficking. This report was written by Min W. Heo, AALDEF Milbank Legal Fellow, with the assistance of Democracy Program Director Glenn D. Magpantay, Staff Attorney Jerry Vattamala, and Executive Director Margaret Fung. AALDEF also acknowledges Policy Analyst Nancy Yu, AALDEF Milbank Legal Fellow Jasmine Jin, and Voting Rights Coordinator Judy Lei for their work. This report was made possible with the generous support of the Ford Foundation. Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund 99 Hudson Street, 12th floor, New York, New York 10013-2815 Phone: 212.966.5932 • Fax: 212.966.4303 • Email: [email protected] • Website: www.aaldef.org AALDEF © 2014