In California, the state with the highest number of Asian Americans, 88% of this demographic group say they plan to vote in the upcoming election. However, about half say they have not yet been contacted by either the Democratic or Republican party.
Experts say that disparity shouldn’t exist for the fastest-growing voter group in the U.S., in a state that’s home to about a third of Asian American voters.
“We’re reaching a point, especially in a state like California, where parties and campaigns, including these ballot measure campaigns, have no excuses,” said Karthick Ramakrishnan, founder of the nonprofit AAPI Data. The group released the survey last week with two nonprofits, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders for Civic Empowerment Education Fund and Asian American Futures.
The study authors interviewed 1,253 Asian Americans from six of the largest Asian ethnic groups in California. The survey was conducted online and by telephone in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean and Vietnamese from April 4 to May 26.
The survey found that 51 percent of Asian American voters in California have not heard from the Democratic Party, while 59 percent say the Republican Party has not reached out to them.
The Republican Party did not respond to a request for comment.
In a statement to NBC News, Democratic National Committee spokesperson Nina Raneses said the party “continues to meet Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander people where they are, investing early and often in the communities that will be the margin of victory.”
“AANHPIs are America’s fastest-growing demographic, and in critical states they can make the difference between winning and losing,” Raneses said. “The stakes couldn’t be higher, and the DNC will continue to make the case for the Harris-Walz ticket to AANHPI voters and pave the way to victory in November.”
“There have been improvements in California in terms of … outreach to Asian Americans over time, but we still have a long way to go,” Ramakrishnan said. “People still take AAPI voters for granted given the size of the electorate in the state.”
When it came to their top-of-mind issues, Asian American voters in California named jobs and the economy, health care and inflation as their top three priorities. And while the issue of crime has played a major role in previous election cycles, the survey found that nearly half of Asian Americans in California agree that local governments should shift spending from law enforcement to programs that address economic and social issues for minorities and underserved communities.
A whopping 86% said they support programs designed to help Black people and other people of color gain better access to educational opportunities. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean they support affirmative action specifically, Ramakrishnan said.
Ramakrishnan said the results are relatively consistent with Asian American voters in the past. However, since the survey was conducted before Harris entered the race in July, the percentage of those who plan to vote in the election is likely to rise.
While California isn’t a swing state, he added that it’s still crucial for both parties and organizations to reach out to Asian Americans. There are key areas where Asian Americans can still make a difference, including some congressional elections, particularly in Southern California and the Central Valley, in addition to statewide ballot measures.
In the state’s 47th Congressional District, for example, an area that has repeatedly flipped parties in the past decade, Asian Americans make up a quarter of the population. And the district’s November contest between Democrat Dave Min and Republican Scott Baugh is expected to determine control of the House of Representatives.
Still, there remains a misconception that reaching out to Asian Americans, which often requires multilingual outreach, is too expensive, Ramakrishnan said. But hiring more Asian Americans for campaigns could solve that problem.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
