Asian American Voters Association
Our Mission
The Asian American Voters Association is a non-profit organization that promotes racial equality through Asian American voter turnout. We aim to effectively mobilize Asian voters to promote civic engagement and increase governmental representation of Asian American interests.
Why the Issue is Important
This November, 15 million Asian Americans are eligible to vote in America. Asian Americans are the fastest-growing racial group in the US electorate. Despite recent substantial gains in the number of eligible Asian voters, Asians have maintained their decades-long position as the ethnic group with the lowest voter turnout. According to the US Census Bureau, Asian Americans have a 10 percentage point turnout gap compared to White voters, who make up the majority of the US electorate. Racial disparities remain entrenched in our electoral system, leaving Asian American voters behind. Increasing Asian voter participation is essential, as the larger the Asian voting block is, the more representative the US government will be of Asian American interests. These are millions of eligible Asian American voters who, if mobilized, could have a transformative impact on the 2024 elections and future elections to come.
Current Steps
The Asian American Voters Association is creating the first voter database made for Asian Americans. By compiling Asian American voter data into a singular publicly-accessible database, campaigns have a direct line of contact with Asian voters. The Association’s volunteers utilize a variety of methods, including categorizing existing data from other databases and grassroots door-to-door canvassing across America, to help campaigns create targeted civic engagement with Asian American voters.
The Asian American Voters Association builds academic research on key barriers to Asian American voting. We thoroughly compile primary source data through grassroot polls and interviews. We use our research to guide our targeted techniques on mobilizing Asian voter turnout. Our research is publicly accessible, as we hope to guide other organizations on key agenda items. Our research also guides our regular press releases and published articles on key ways for individuals to overcome these barriers.
Future Steps
Leading up to the November elections, the Association will begin working to improve language translation services. Studies have shown that at the polls, one of the largest language barriers is not a lack of translation services, but rather, unclear messaging about how people can utilize these services. AAVA will guide volunteer training at local voting stations with the goal of establishing a more comprehensive understanding of what translation services are available and how voters may access them.