Surge in Asian American eligible voters to impact US election: report

The number of Asian American eligible voters has skyrocketed over the past two decades, says Pew study

• Pramod Thomas
• 13 January, 2024

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By: Pramod Thomas

THE number of Asian American eligible voters has skyrocketed over the past two decades and since 2020, according to a new study as the US goes to polls to elect a new president this year.

The report titled ‘Key facts about Asian American eligible voters in 2024 revealed that in the past four years the Asian American eligible voter population grew by 15 per cent.

That far outpaces the growth rate of all eligible voters at 3 per cent, making them the fastest-growing electorate in the US.

A projected 15 million Asian Americans will be eligible to vote in November, according to the Pew Research Center study.

The group makes up just over 6 per cent of eligible voters, but its growth  outpaced Hispanic eligible voters, who grew by 12 per cent. Asian Americans typically lean Democratic, the research said.

In 2020, 72 per cent of English-speaking, single-race, non-Hispanic Asian voters said they voted for Democrat Joe Biden for president, while 28 per cent said they voted for Republican Donald Trump, according to the study.

As of 2022, most Asian American eligible voters (55 per cent) live in only five states. California has the highest number of Asian American eligible voters by far (4.4 million). The state is home to nearly a third (31 per cent) of the entire US Asian electorate.

The states with the next-most Asian American eligible voters are New York (1.2 million), Texas (1.1 million), Hawaii (580,000) and New Jersey (575,000).

Hawaii, where Asian Americans constitute 55 per cent of the overall electorate, remains the only state in which a nonwhite group makes up the majority. The state also has the highest share of Asians who are registered to vote, at 7 in 10 Asians.

The group also has a significant presence in California, where they make up 17 per cent of the electorate, and Nevada, largely considered a swing state, at 11 per cent.

The report pointed out that Asian Americans are less likely than the overall population to be eligible to vote because of the large portion who are not US citizens.

Green card holders and those in the process of becoming permanent residents, for example, are ineligible. Among those who are eligible, the racial group has the highest proportion of naturalised citizens versus US-born.

(PTI)