Asians, Pacific Islanders Absent from Voting Booths

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." Although recent studies have shown that Asian and Pacific Islander Americans are among one of the fastest growing populations in the United States, the APIA voice is only growing more and more silent. According to a study conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau and the University of California, only 11 percent of all Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in California participate in the general elections. In California, the Asian and Pacific Islander American community makes up almost 13 percent of the state's total population, and yet only a small percentage of the eligible Asian and Pacific Islander (APIA) voters show up at the voting booth each year. According to APIAVote.Org, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing APIA voter participation, 67 percent of all Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in California was eligible to vote in 2000. But only a small percentage of them actually showed up last year, leaving the APIA voice completely unheard. [more ]

• Of 32 million voting-age Latinos, only 8 million voted in the 2000 election. [more ]