Asian American Voter Registration Sees Significant Growth in 2023

Sarah Poontong, a 49-year-old immigrant from Thailand, became a U.S. citizen in late 2022. One of the first actions she took was to register to vote. She is now part of a growing trend among Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities, which have seen the largest increase in voter registrations compared to other racial groups in the U.S. between January and June this year.

According to a report by civic engagement nonprofit APIAVote and the research firm TargetSmart, this trend represents the most substantial growth in voter registration seen in any racial group since the 2020 election cycle. The factors behind this rise include a surge in the number of first-generation immigrants becoming naturalized citizens, a younger generation of U.S.-born Asian Americans reaching voting age, and broader efforts encouraging voter participation.

From 1960 to 2019, immigrants from Asia to the United States increased dramatically, a 29-fold jump. A significant portion of this group has chosen to become naturalized citizens, making Asian Americans the fastest-growing segment of eligible voters since 2020. For Poontong, who works in operations and finance in Chicago, her voting journey took on a new urgency after witnessing the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

“I realized just how important it is to vote in your local elections and the presidential election,” Poontong shared. “So I made the conscious choice to get my citizenship and register to vote, and I voted for the first time in the primaries.”

Christine Chen, the executive director of APIAVote, attributes this surge in voter registration not only to the increasing population of Asian Americans of voting age but also to the political momentum built during the pandemic. Activism and organizing against the rise of anti-Asian hate crimes, which became more visible during the pandemic, have spurred many to become politically engaged.

The efforts of community groups that have long worked on voter engagement have helped increase awareness and participation. Chen emphasized that Asian American and Pacific Islander voters were a decisive force in several key states during the 2020 election, including Georgia, where their votes exceeded the margin of victory.

“There’s just a feeling of not being safe and not being secure. So I think people are looking for change,” Chen remarked. “They’re recognizing that this is part of the equation — that they need to lean in and actually participate.”

The research analyzed voter registration data up until June 4, 2023, the latest date for which figures from all 50 states were available, and compared it to the same period in 2020. The findings were striking: voter registration among Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities surged by 43%, from 550,682 to 787,982. This growth far outpaced that of other racial groups, with the registration increase being more than double that of new Black and white voters.

Historically, the Asian American community did not see such substantial gains in political participation, Chen explained. However, the 2020 election marked a turning point. Asian Americans experienced a double-digit increase in voter turnout, and in the years since, both resources and community organizations have dedicated more energy to promoting political engagement.

“So leading into 2020, there were a lot more efforts from the community to talk about building political power and connecting that to voting,” said Chen. “Then you have the rise of anti-Asian violence and the pandemic. … People are still feeling that elected officials, not enough of them are hearing from us and paying attention to us. And so I think that also continued to drive the growth.”

Karthick Ramakrishnan, co-founder of the nonprofit research organization AAPI Data, agreed that the rise in voter registration is largely fueled by naturalized citizens, who make up the majority of eligible Asian American voters. In the 2022 fiscal year, roughly 1 million lawful immigrants became U.S. citizens, nearing the record highs seen in 1996 and 2008.

Ramakrishnan noted that immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for an extended period are more likely to become politically engaged and register to vote after becoming naturalized citizens. “But if they’ve lived in the country longer, they tend to be more interested in politics, more likely to be engaged, more likely to be reached out to, and therefore more likely to register to vote if they’re naturalized,” he said.

Ramakrishnan also highlighted that some states have made the voter registration process easier and more accessible, benefiting newly naturalized citizens. He pointed to changes in voter registration laws that have made the process more automatic in certain states, simplifying what can be a challenging process for immigrants to navigate.

“Changes in voter registration rules in a handful of states that are making it much easier and much more automatic for people to be registered to vote,” Ramakrishnan explained.

The upcoming election cycle also seems to be a particularly polarizing one, with many Asian American voters feeling compelled to register and participate. Ramakrishnan noted that the election’s divisive nature has sparked greater interest in political engagement, saying, “It’s hard to have a neutral stance on Trump.” He added, “It’s undeniable that Donald Trump has increased people’s interest in engaging with politics. He’s a polarizing figure. Either people are energized in support of Trump or opposed to Trump.”

For Poontong, this election feels like a pivotal moment, and she is determined to be a part of it. She has even adjusted her vacation schedule to ensure she can vote in person in November. Her primary concern centers around reproductive rights, which she considers her top priority.

“That’s my No. 1 issue — just to make sure that we, moving forward, have bodily autonomy,” she said.

As the data examined in the report ended before Vice President Kamala Harris entered the race, Ramakrishnan believes the rise in Asian American voter registration may be even more significant than reflected.

“We’re seeing this more generally, regardless of race and ethnicity, but especially what I’ve seen is among younger voters, among female voters, voter registration has gone up significantly in the last month,” he stated. “I would expect the Harris candidacy to also drive higher voter registration and higher voter interest among Asian Americans.”

As the U.S. heads into another election season, the role of Asian American voters continues to grow. With this demographic representing a significant portion of the electorate, their increasing participation could be a decisive factor in determining the outcome of elections across the country.