APIAVOTE CELEBRATES RECORD-BREAKING ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER VOTER TURNOUT AMIDST PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

APIAVOTE CELEBRATES RECORD-BREAKING ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER VOTER TURNOUT AMIDST PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

Early data shows a 301% increase in early votes cast by Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in 2020 compared to 2016.

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  In light of the 2020 Presidential election, Christine Chen, executive director of Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) issues the following statement:

“This election saw a record-breaking number of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) voters turn out to vote for the next President of the United States. As the vote counts are finalized, recent data from Catalist revealed a 310% increase in AAPI early voters from 4 million in 2020 compared to 1.25 million in 2016. The data also showed that in key battleground states, like Georgia, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, and North Carolina, AAPIs increased the number of votes cast by a larger percent relative to 2016.”

“I am proud of the tireless work that APIAVote and our local partners did in the months leading up to the election. Together, we reached over 700,000 AAPI households through non-partisan phone banking, text banking, and a comprehensive mail and digital ad program encouraging voters to cast their ballot by election day. Our targeted efforts addressed reducing language barriers, racial threats, and misinformation to significantly increase voter turnout for our AAPI communities.”

“AAPIs have always been a part of the social and political fabric of America. However, our communities’ issues and concerns have been perpetually underrepresented at all levels of government. We congratulate President-elect Biden and applaud Vice President-elect Harris as the first Black and South Asian woman to serve in office. We look forward to working with the administration to ensure that we continue to address language access issues and eliminate barriers to voting.”

“2020 has solidified AAPI voters as the margin of victory, and it is time for everyone to take notice of the unique needs and challenges of our communities. APIAVote will continue to make sure that every voter understands their power and has an equal opportunity to vote in every election.”

To learn more about the Asian American and Pacific Islander electorate, see our 2020 Asian American Voter Survey at apiavote.org/research.

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Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) is a national nonpartisan organization that works with partners to mobilize Asian American Pacific Islanders in electoral and civic participation. APIAVote envisions a world that is inclusive, fair, and collaborative, and where Asian American and Pacific Islander communities are self-determined, empowered, and engaged. See our website for more information at http://www.apiavote.org/