State Representative Hoan Huynh
in the Chicago Sun-Times :
"Don't Take Asian American Voters for Granted"
There’s an important shift in the electorate this campaign season:
Asian Americans are the fastest-growing group of U.S. voters and may well represent the quintessential swing voter. Campaigns can’t ignore them.
The return of the Democratic National Convention to Chicago inevitably brings back to mind the events of 1968 and the violent clashes between police and anti-Vietnam War protesters. I can trace a personal connection to that time: My father served in the South Vietnamese military alongside the U.S. Allied Forces. After the war ended, my family lived through a period of doubt, finally receiving political asylum from the United States after President Jimmy Carter signed the U.S. Refugee Act of 1980 to deal with the mounting humanitarian crisis of the Vietnamese “boat people.” The Refugee Act resettled hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese refugees to the U.S., and I and my family were among the beneficiaries. We had the chance to pursue our American Dream and become part of what is now the fastest-growing voting bloc in the country: Asian Americans. The 2024 presidential campaign is the perfect occasion to talk about a transformative demographic and political shift since then: the rapid growth in the number of Asian American voters and the increasing visibility of Asian Americans in politics. I believe Asian American and Pacific Islanders will be the decisive voters in 2024. Their population represents more than the margin of victory in the 2020 presidential election in each of the most hotly contested swing states. In all-important states like Nevada, for example, state canvassing data show President Joe Biden won by 33,596 votes, or a 2.4% margin, while the state’s Asian American population is about 120,000, or 8.7% of voters there. In Pennsylvania, where Biden won by 80,555 votes, a 1.2% margin, the Asian American population totals around 275,000, or 4% of voters. Yet traditional campaign strategy has yet to take full account of these voters, and a dive into the numbers shows us it is past time to build more effective outreach to the Asian American community. There’s power in targeted outreach Asian Americans are, in fact, the fastest-growing group of U.S. voters: Their numbers have grown by about 15% in the past four years, according to the Pew Research Center. And Asian Americans may well represent the quintessential swing voter, as Amy Qin recently pointed out in The New York Times: While they lean Democratic as a group (72% voted for Biden in 2020), they have a generally loose party affiliation. According to the research group AAPI Data, cited by Qin, 31% of Asian Americans identify as independent; of those who identify as Democrats, only 59% identify as strong Democrats, a figure well below the 67% overall among self-identified Dems. Neglecting Asian American voters would be courting disaster in elections. In my own election in 2022 to become state representative for the 13th District, I saw firsthand the power of direct, targeted outreach to Asian communities. We ran a language-accessible and inclusive campaign, with campaign materials in more than 12 languages, voter registration and a focus on getting out the vote during early voting and by mail-in ballots. This experience is the inspiration for the national level PAC, AAPI Forward PAC, which has a goal of engaging Asian American voters and directly supporting AAPI candidates. As the saying goes, all politics is local, and it is these strategies, especially knocking on doors and hearing Asian American voters’ concerns firsthand, that are needed in an election. According to the Asian American Voter Survey, 42% of Asian American voters say they have not been contacted by either of the two major political parties this election season; 50% say they have not been contacted by the Democratic Party; and 57% report they have not been contacted by the Republican Party. As an elected official and a proud member of the Argyle Street “Little Saigon” community in Chicago, I know how important it is for Asian American communities to feel a sense of representation. I have great hopes that Kamala Harris, herself an Indian American, can reach these voters. But we need to organize effectively to make it happen.
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Empowering AAPI voices for lasting change.
AAPI Forward is dedicated to promoting the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) vote in key districts within swing states for the upcoming federal elections. Our mission is not only to influence immediate electoral outcomes but also to build long-term voter engagement within historically overlooked AAPI communities.
Bold leadership is shaping a new era of AAPI civic participation.
Founded by Hoan Huynh, a State Representative in the Illinois General Assembly for the 13th District (Uptown Chicago), and Evan Jones, a veteran campaign manager and strategist, AAPI Forward is driven by leaders who understand the importance of civic engagement and representation. Hoan Huynh is notably the first Vietnamese elected official in Illinois, bringing a wealth of experience and a personal commitment to the cause.
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The influence of AAPI voters is growing.
The AAPI community has shown significant electoral power in recent years. In the 2020 presidential election, Asian Americans had a notable double-digit increase in voter turnout, with almost 60% of the Asian American citizen voting-age population casting their ballots. This surge in participation was crucial in battleground states like Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania, where the number of Asian American voters exceeded the presidential margin of victory.
Despite their growing numbers and influence, AAPI communities have often been overlooked by traditional voter outreach campaigns. Our PAC seeks to change that by investing in voter identification efforts, paid canvassing, and targeted media placements to ensure that AAPI voices are heard and counted.
Our Approach
Outreach Support
Deploying canvassers to engage directly with AAPI voters in key districts, providing information and assistance to encourage voter turnout.
Media Campaigns
Utilizing media placements, yard signs, and other advertising methods to raise awareness and mobilize AAPI voters.
Grassroots Collaboration
Conduct Language-Accessible Field Outreach and proven campaign tactics in AAPI neighborhoods, leveraging relationships with grassroots organizations with built-in trust and connectivity
Driving Change Through the Priorities of the AAPI Community.
Our outreach is guided by the issues that matter most to the AAPI community, as evidenced by recent surveys:
1
Jobs and the Economy:
86% of AAPI voters consider this a top priority.
2
Healthcare:
85% rate healthcare as extremely important.
3
Inflation:
Also an 85% priority among AAPI voters.
4
Crime and Education:
Both viewed as critical issues by 80% of AAPI voters.
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"With the Asian American population projected to exceed 35 million by 2060, the influence of AAPI voters will only grow. AAPI Forward is committed to harnessing this potential, ensuring that AAPI voices are central to the democratic process and that their concerns are addressed at all levels of government."
— State Representative Hoan Huynh
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Together, we can make a difference.
Join AAPI Forward in promoting the AAPI vote
and building a future where all communities
are represented and heard.
For more information or to get involved, please contact:
Evan Jones
Vice Chairperson and Treasurer
at info@aapiforward.org or (832) 904-1167