Participants of the Asian Pacific Island Political Alliance depart from the Jollibee parking lot in Philadelphia on October 5th. The Filipino fast food chain is also expanding in the United States, reflecting the growing Asian American population. Deepa Sivaram/NPR Hide Caption
Toggle caption Deepa Sivaram/NPR
PHILADELPHIA — Just a month before Election Day, James Delos Reyes was waiting in the parking lot of Philadelphia’s only Jollibee.
This branch of the Philippine fast-food chain has become the de facto meeting place for activists from the Asia-Pacific Island Political Alliance (APIPA), who knock on doors every day leading up to the election of Vice President Harris and other candidates. they supported.
“This shows how much the Asian population in this region has grown,” said Delos Reyes, the group’s deputy field director. “There are a lot of Koreans, Vietnamese and South Asians living here, and the number is steadily increasing.If Jollibees thinks they have enough talent to open a restaurant, they can add Filipinos to that list. I think you can too.”
James Delos Reyes speaks with the Asian American and Pacific Islander Political Alliance in Philadelphia on October 5, 2024. He plans to knock on doors every day until Election Day. His group’s brochures have been translated into Simplified Chinese, Vietnamese, and Urdu. Deepa Sivaram/NPR Hide Caption
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Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are the fastest growing voter group in this country. In Pennsylvania, the number of voters in this category increased by 55% between 2010 and 2020.
In this crisis situation, only a tiny fraction of the electorate, about 3%. But polls show the presidential race is effectively a tie, and AAPI turnout could help decide who wins.
Pennsylvania’s AAPI population is growing significantly
In 2020, President Biden narrowly won Pennsylvania, thanks in part to record turnout among AAPI voters.
“The lesson of 2020 is that no matter how small your community is, it matters, especially in a time when our country is so polarized,” Montgomery County Commissioner Neil Makhija said.
The county invested in brand new voting cars that allow people to register and vote on the spot. Makhija said the county plans to bring the products to Diwali events, fall festivals and other community gatherings. He said the van also has voting information in eight languages.
Montgomery County Commissioner Neil Makhija (right) shows off his new voting van at the Fall Festival. Jeongyun Han/NPR Hide caption
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Data shows that for years, the majority of Asian American voters have not been contacted by either political party.
One reason for this, Delos Reyes said, is that it takes a lot of effort and money to translate flyers, signs and information about how to vote. His Philadelphia-area group’s brochure has every English sentence translated into Simplified Chinese, Vietnamese, and Urdu.
Although AAPI voters have historically voted overwhelmingly blue, they are not strongly tied to any particular political party, meaning they are a persuasive target. But once Asian American voters get involved in politics, they tend to stay engaged, according to APIPA.
How are this year’s candidates approaching?
Harris’ campaign has three staffers dedicated to reaching out to AAPI voters and has ramped up advertising in Asian American media.
One recent ad accused President Trump of spiking anti-Asian hate during the COVID-19 pandemic. Another Harris talks about her mother, an immigrant from India. The ad includes the phrase “She’s one of us,” referring to Harris.
Former President Donald Trump campaigns at Truong Tien Restaurant at the Eden Center in Falls Church, Virginia, on August 26. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images Hide Caption
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The Trump campaign has not done much concrete outreach to local communities. A Trump campaign official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters, said the strategy to reach AAPI voters is similar to that of Black and Latino voters, as well as an attempt to capitalize on nostalgia for the Trump-era economy. That’s what he said.
This summer, President Trump visited the Eden Center, a Vietnamese shopping center in northern Virginia, and rallied with Republican Senate candidate Hung Cao.
“I don’t know what it is. I need to explain it. But the Vietnamese community loves me and I love them,” President Trump said.
AAPI voters matter in other states as well.
Outreach to AAPI voters by both parties could also be a deciding factor in other battleground states. In Nevada, for example, AAPI voters make up nearly 12% of the state’s electorate.
Engaging with specific communities within the AAPI population can also be important. In battleground states like North Carolina, Georgia, and Michigan, Indian Americans are the largest ethnic group among AAPI voters.
Vice President Harris speaks at a campaign event for President Biden in Philadelphia on July 13, 2024. Drew Hallowell/Getty Images Hide Caption
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In North Carolina, Mona Singh of the Democratic organizing group We See Blue said she has seen a surge in South Asian interest in the pro-Harris movement since the vice president entered the race. He said he felt it.
When President Biden was still a candidate, Singh said an average of about five South Asian volunteers would participate in the events he organized. Now, she says there are about 20 recruiters at any given time.
Advocacy groups say they are also working in preparation for future elections.
In past election cycles, a lack of advocacy left many in the community feeling that politics was not for them.
Jamie Min, 29, is a Korean American who works in software engineering in Philadelphia. He said he would not vote despite his concerns about the economy and immigration.
“I think it’s mainly a culture of being second-class, almost second-class, and feeling like we don’t have a voice,” Min said.
Linh Nguyễn, executive vice president of the AAPI Victory Fund, is trying to change that sentiment. Her organization is a pro-Harris political action committee that works to engage and mobilize Asian American voters.
Nguyen, who has worked on past Democratic campaigns, said it was once a “literal battle” to translate rally signs into various Asian languages.
“I hate to say this, but we were barely on the map, and the understanding of who it is and what it means to be Asian in America is very much in mainstream politics. It just didn’t exist,” she said.
This cycle, he sent out mailers to California with photos of families eating hot pot for dinner and worked with Asian American influencers and bloggers to reach young voters.
“Seeing how it has grown … is one of the most remarkable things I’ve seen in the last 10 years,” Nguyen said.
NPR’s Jeongyuon Han contributed to this report.
