Our Chicago: Asian American and Latino Voters and the Presidential Election

CHICAGO (Wales) — Asian Americans are the fastest-growing voter group in the United States, according to the Pew Research Center.

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The second fastest group is Latino voters. An estimated 36.2 million Latinos are eligible to vote in the November election. This means an increase of approximately 4 million people since 2020.

But voter registrations among both voter groups lag behind White voter registrations.

“I think one of the biggest issues is actually access to language. When you look at the Asian American community, over 50 percent of individuals speak a language other than English. I think access is a real challenge for many people.” Thy Vice President of Community Impact for the Chinese American Service Association Nguyen said:

Nguyen added that voters need election materials in their own language.

Jose Marco-Paredes is Vice President of Civic Engagement at the Latino Policy Forum.

Marco-Paredes said there are three primary reasons why Latino voter registrations lag behind White Voter registrations.

Latino voters tend to be younger compared to other racial and ethnic groups, and “young people are less reliable voters.”

As for the candidates, Democrat Kamala Harris became the first Asian-American woman to top a major party ticket. So does this carry any weight with Asian-American voters?

“I definitely think so,” Nguyen said. “I think it’s definitely created the level of excitement that we’ve seen in the community. A recent survey from AAPI found that 77 percent of Asian-American voters really identify with their culture and background. So, Kamala Harris is South Asian, which I think really resonates with voters.” “

But Nguyen said the situation is a little more complicated, given the diversity in the Asian-American community and with some excitement involved.

Both Asian Americans and Latinos will vote on issues that concern all Americans.

“All the polls have shown that the Latino community cares about the same issues as everyone else. Kitchen table issues. The economy, inflation, will I be able to put food on my table? Will my children get a good education? ” said Marco-Paredes.

“I think the issues that really matter are the same,” Nguyen said of the Asian-American community. “Affordable healthcare, employment, jobs. Those things are really important.”

Early voters can choose to vote in one of 12 languages: English, Spanish, Chinese, Hindi, Polish, Korean, Tagalog, Gujarati, Urdu, Arabic, Ukrainian and Russian, according to the Chicago Board of Elections website.

Early Voting in Downtown Chicago will begin at 9 a.m. on Thursday, October 3, and will be available at the Voting Supersite (191 N. Clark) and Board Offices (69 W. Washington St. – 6th Floor) through Election Day (Nov. 5). will continue. .