How to Reach New Asian American Voters? Local Groups and Languages

Thanks in part to increased activism in light of COVID-19-related racism and targeted, multilingual outreach by voter advocacy organizations, turnout among Asian American voters increased by roughly 47 percent between 2016 and 2020.

Because Arabic-speakers are not entitled to translated election materials under the Voting Rights Act, Michigan organizers in Dearborn and Hamtramck instead took the issue to their city councils and were able to secure local legislation requiring the communities to provide Arabic-language ballots. The new resource was available for the first time during the August primary.

To reach young voters more effectively, a company called Social Currant matched voter advocacy organizations such as NextGen America and Community Change Action with social media creators. The creators' posts about voting and civic engagement reached roughly 13 million people on TikTok and Instagram.

In Oregon, voters are automatically registered when they get their driver's license, and voters are automatically sent a ballot when election time comes. The state had the highest turnout rate in the country in the 2022 midterm election, with 61.5% of eligible citizens casting a ballot.

Through the Vot-ER program, doctors, nurses, and other health care staff speak to their patients about registering to vote and provide important election information, even wearing badges with QR codes that patients can scan to access online voting resources. Since 2020, the initiative has helped more than 66,000 people register to vote or request a mail-in ballot, and more than 500 hospitals, clinics, and centers have participated.

Groups such as Texas Organizing Project are focusing on reaching out to voters year-round rather than just during election season, with the goal of reaching people who are often not a priority for traditional campaigns and political parties.

Amid a climate of targeted election misinformation, grassroots organizations such as One Arizona are intensifying their outreach to Latino voters, with a focus on connecting with younger generations through high school visits and outreach at music and cultural festivals. One Arizona has registered about 120,000 young voters in the state since March.

Ahead of Tennessee's August 2022 primary, organizations such as TIRRC (Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition) Votes and the Effendi Foundation targeted their outreach toward immigrant communities to increase turnout in key elections, resulting in wins for several TIRRC-endorsed candidates. The organizations relied on culturally-relevant strategies, including employing engagement coordinators from multiple countries, bringing candidates to speak at local mosques, and using community-specific language in written outreach.

In San Diego County, Pillars of the Community trained people incarcerated in local jails to become “inside organizers” who can help others incarcerated there register to vote and fill out their ballots. In all, seven inside organizers helped roughly 230 people register to vote ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

To reach Spanish-speaking voters, organizers with Faith in Florida set up registration drives at community gathering places, such as the Beth-El Farmworker Ministry where many residents come to access the food pantry. Though the state recently passed legislation potentially penalizing third-party groups that submit registration applications on behalf of voters, Faith in Florida has been able to continue its registration drives by instead providing QR codes that take voters to the website where they can register themselves.