The number of registered Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AAPI) voters has seen a significant increase over the past four years.
According to NBC News, citing researchers in the field, there were 550,682 newly registered AAPI voters ahead of the 2020 presidential election. By the same period this year (as of June 4), the number had risen to 787,982.
The media outlet noted that this growth was more than twice the increase seen in voter registration among White or Black voters during the same timeframe.
NBC attributed this surge to various factors, including the political shift in 2020 and major incidents involving hate crimes and racial discrimination, which resonated strongly within U.S. society. It suggested that AAPI leaders have come to realize the importance of political engagement, understanding that there is no greater way to exert influence than through their collective vote.
The report also highlighted that nearly 1 million foreign nationals acquired U.S. citizenship in 2022 alone, the highest figure since 1996 and 2008. Many of these immigrants had been residing in the U.S. for an extended period and recognized the critical need to secure their rights through citizenship.
When breaking down the registered voters by age, those in their 10s to 30s and 50s to 70s were the most active in registering. The trend was attributed to second-generation AAPI individuals coming of age and taking an interest in registration, along with older generations who, after obtaining citizenship, registered as voters.
However, it remains unclear how many of these new voters will actually turn out to vote or which candidates they will support, making it too early to predict their impact on swing states in the upcoming election.
BY BRIAN CHOI, YOUNGNAM KIM [ichoi@koreadaily.com]
