Voting Rights & Democracy
Asian American Democracy Program
Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial group in the United States, however the community’s political strength has yet to be fully realized. Throughout U.S. history, Asian Americans have been disenfranchised by discriminatory laws that denied citizenship to Asian immigrants and rendered them ineligible to vote. Chinese Americans were not permitted to become citizens until 1943; for Asian Indians, 1946; and for Japanese and other Asian Americans, 1952. Despite the inroads Asian Americans have made as elected officials, the legacy of these discriminatory policies and the notion of Asian Americans as foreigners are still strongly felt today, impeding Asian American political participation.
AALDEF blends community education and organizing, election reform advocacy, litigation, and technical assistance to community-based organizations to promote civic participation among Asian Americans–immigrants and new citizens–across the country.
Highlights:
- A hallmark of our voting rights work is our annual Asian American Election Protection Project, which consists of a multilingual voter survey and poll monitoring efforts. In 1988, AALDEF conducted the first exit poll of Asian American voters in a presidential election. Since then, we have monitored the voting rights and political opinions of Asian American voters in every major election.
- In 1992, we were the only Asian American organization invited to testify before the House Judiciary Committee in support of expanding language assistance under the Voting Rights Act.
- In 1994, we successfully advocated for the first fully translated Chinese-language ballots in New York City and the U.S., providing language assistance for the first time to 55,000 Chinese American voters in three counties covered by the Voting Rights Act.
- In a joint coalition, AALDEF, LatinoJustice PRLDEF and the Center for Law and Social Justice (CLSJ) of Medgar Evers College, released the Unity Map, a proposal for new Congressional, State Assembly, State Senate, and city council districts in New York City that reflects its changing demographics and protects the voting rights of Blacks, Latinos, and Asian Americans.
- In 2010, AALDEF’s Census Project was a multi-faceted program utilizing community education, trainings, advocacy and legal support to ensure that Asian Americans were accurately counted in the decennial event. And in 2018, as the 2020 Census approached, we submitted comments to the Census Bureau, calling for removal of an untested question on citizenship in the 2020 Census form that would deter participation by Asian Americans and other immigrant families.
Program Priorities:
- Advocacy and organizing for fair and equitable redistricting that enables the community to elect candidates of their choice by recognizing and protecting Asian American communities of interest at all legislative levels.
- Building coalitions within Asian communities and with other communities of color to ensure fair redistricting and to oppose discriminatory voting laws and procedures.
- Litigation, in partnership with community groups, as well as other national legal organizations to oppose discriminatory voting laws, procedures, redistricting, and restrictions to language access.
- Documenting election day observations through poll monitoring during primary and general elections and creating observation/complaint letters and post-election reports.
- Collecting and reporting out demographic and electoral data for Asian American voters through the National Asian American Voter Survey.
Related
- Voting Rights
Publication
- Major victory in lawsuit against Texas anti-voter law, S.B. 1
- 140+ Organizations write in strong opposition to the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act
- Civil rights groups and members of Congress urge DOJ’s enforcement of the minority language provisions of the Voting Rights Act
- Asian American voters in New Jersey heavily favored Andy Kim for U.S. Senate
- Oral arguments scheduled for May 2 in NYC Council redistricting case over Indo-Caribbean/South Asian neighborhood in Queens
- Immigrant and Civil Rights’ Organizations Continue Fight to Expand Voting Rights in NYC
- Asian American organizations tell court, New Jersey’s ballot design hurts our communities
- Coalition of Black, Latino and Asian Groups Call for the Full Adoption of the Unity Map
- LAWSUIT: Civil rights advocates sue in Nassau County over racial vote dilution
- NY Voting and Civil Rights Groups Call for Transparent Redistricting Process
- AALDEF & Advocates Alert Nassau County of First Possible NYVRA Redistricting Challenge
- Letter to Governor Kathy Hochul in Support of Election Alignment Bill
- AALDEF files appeal against NYC Districting Commission over City Council map’s division of Asian American community in Queens
- AALDEF releases Asian American Exit Poll results for 2023 elections
- Federal Trial Against Texas’ Anti-Voter Law S.B. 1 Concludes
- Partisan Aims Cannot Excuse Racial Gerrymandering (Statement on Alexander v. South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP)
- Federal trial against Texas' anti-voter law S.B. 1 begins
- Major Victory in Lawsuit Against Texas Anti-Voter Law
- AALDEF denounces Georgia councilmember’s anti-immigrant comments
- AALDEF Celebrates Win for Voting Rights
- AALDEF criticizes redistricting plan that splits Asian American voting strength in Boston's Chinatown/South End community
- Redistricting Commission’s NY Assembly plan divides Asians American communities in Queens and Brooklyn
- AALDEF Sues NYC Districting Commission over Council Map’s Splintering of Asian American Community in Queens
- Asian Americans Supported Warnock, according to AALDEF Asian American Exit Poll
- AALDEF releases preliminary Asian American Exit Poll results for 2022 midterm elections
- Unity Map Coalition Urges NYC Districting Commission to Comply with Legal Obligations to Protected Groups
- In response to District Court’s postponement of Texas redistricting trial, SCSJ, AALDEF, ACLU of TX, Brennan Center issue statement
- AALDEF and local Asian American community secure commitment from Malden, MA to provide Chinese language assistance in compliance with Voting Rights Act
- AALDEF condemns racist and red-baiting rhetoric and imagery perpetuated in Florida judicial race
- Proposed “Unity Map” for NY City Council is “Fair and Necessary”
- Federal Court Strikes Down Texas' SB1 Provision Restricting Assistance for Limited English-Speaking and Disabled Voters
- AALDEF Will Continue to Fight For the Voting Rights of Immigrants Despite "Our City Our Vote" Law Ruling
- Federal court orders State of Texas to stop restricting needed assistance to limited English speaking and disabled voters
- New York Senate Passes Landmark Voting Rights Legislation
- RE: SUPPORT FOR THE JOHN R. LEWIS VOTING RIGHTS ACT OF NEW YORK (S.1046B / A.6678B)
- New York City Welcomes “Naturalize 2 Million by 2022” Tour
- New York Voting Rights Consortium Endorses The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of New York
- AALDEF’s Analysis of Congressional, State Senate and Assembly Districts in New York City as Proposed by the New York State Legislature
- Unity Coalition Rejects NYS Legislature’s Proposed Redistricting Plans
- Communities of Color Urge LATFOR and NY Legislature to Adopt Unity Map Redistricting Plan
- Unity Coalition Applauds NYS Legislature’s Rejection of IRC Plans and Calls for Full Adoption of Unity Map For NYC
- Unity Map Coalition Calls for the Rejection of the IRC Redistricting Plans
- APA VOICE Redistricting Task Force Urges Governor Hochul and the New York State Legislature to Adopt the Unity Map
- APA VOICE VIRTUAL PRESS CONFERENCE: ALL EYES TURN TO NYS LEGISLATURE AND GOVERNOR HOCHUL
- Census Bureau releases 2021 list of jurisdictions requiring Asian language assistance under the Voting Rights Act
- Unity Map Coalition Releases Congressional Plan for New York City
- VIRTUAL PRESS CONFERENCE ANNOUNCING TEXAS REDISTRICTING LAWSUIT
- AALDEF and Coalition of Civil Rights Groups File Federal Lawsuit to Block Racially Discriminatory Texas Redistricting
- AALDEF Exit Poll: Asian Americans in 5 States Approve of Biden, Approve of the Vaccine Mandate, and Support Abortion Access
- “Unity” Redistricting Map for New York City is Fair and Necessary
- Preliminary 2021 Asian American Exit Poll Results in Five States
- New York Voting Rights Consortium: Statement of Support for New York State Ballot Proposals 1, 3 and 4
- Unity Map Coalition Unveils Redistricting Plan for New York City
- AALDEF to conduct Asian American exit poll and monitor poll sites in 5 states
- Growing Communities of Color & Redistricting: A Statement from the Voting Rights Working Group
- AALDEF's Preliminary Analysis of Draft Maps Released by NYS Independent Redistricting Commission
- Unity Map Coalition Statement on New York State Independent Redistricting Commission Maps Release
- Groups File Lawsuit Against State of Texas Over Voter Suppression Bill SB 1
- Unity Coalition Statement on Today's Census Data Release
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan Enters Consent Decree and Order in Voting Rights Act Lawsuit — Hamtramck’s Bengali Language Election Program Ordered for Four Years
- City of Hamtramck Settles Voting Rights Act Lawsuit; Agrees to Provide Bengali Language Assistance
- Volunteers Needed to Defend Asian American Voting Rights
- AALDEF Exit Poll: 2/3 of Asian American voters favored Senators-Elect Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff in 2021 Georgia runoff elections
- AALDEF seeks volunteers for Georgia Senate runoff elections
- AALDEF Exit Poll: Asian Americans Favor Biden Over Trump 68% to 29%; Played Role in Close Races in Georgia and Other Battleground States
- Preliminary 2020 Asian American Exit Poll results; Asian American voter problems
- AALDEF to conduct Asian American Exit Poll and monitor poll sites in 14 states
- Absentee Ballot Requirements
- Sept. 22: AALDEF sets up voter information table in Manhattan's Chinatown for National Voter Registration Day
- AALDEF and SEAMAAC monitor poll sites in South Philadelphia for primary election
- Presentation on The 2018 Asian American Vote in Georgia
- Preliminary Results: AALDEF 2019 Exit Poll in Louisiana
- Preliminary Results: AALDEF 2019 Asian American Exit Poll in Virginia, Texas, and Pennsylvania
- AALDEF to Conduct Asian American Exit Poll and Monitor Poll Sites in NY, LA, MA, PA, TX, & VA
- AALDEF testifies at Texas House Redistricting Committee Public Hearings in Austin and Dallas
- At Rally for India's Modi, Trump Plays Second Fiddle but a Familiar Tune
- Latino voters, civil rights groups reach settlement with Texas over purging of voter rolls
- AALDEF calls on New York State Legislature to adopt voting rights bills in 2019
- New results - AALDEF 2018 exit poll of 8,058 Asian American voters
- AALDEF exit poll of 7,600 Asian American voters in 2018 midterm elections: preliminary results
- Census Bureau releases list of counties requiring Asian-language assistance under the Voting Rights Act
Press Release
- NBC: Asian Americans overwhelmingly favored Rep. Andy Kim in N.J. Democratic Senate primary, exit poll shows
- WABC: Some members of AAPI community in Queens say NYC Council map silences their voices
- AsAmNews: NYC Council appeals ruling on noncitizen voting law as splitting views linger
- Gothamist: NYC Council appeals noncitizen voting ruling as Mayor Adams remains mum
- Atlanta Black Star: New York Civil Liberties Groups Sue County As Yet Another Gerrymandering Case Sparks an Uproar Amid 2024 Election Cycle
- NPR: A local redistricting battle in a New York City suburb may lead to a national fight
- NBC: Brooklyn's 1st Asian-majority district election shows community is still up for grabs
- NBC News: Supporters rally around Vietnamese American City Council member who was called ‘un-American’
- amNY: City Council petitioning could face delays over suit alleging redistricting carved up Queens Asian communities
- Sampan: Malden Celebrates Passage of Transliteration Law
- NBC News: Asian Americans heavily favored Warnock in Georgia runoff, exit poll shows
- NBC News: Nevada is 1 of 5 states with over 10% Asian Americans. Both parties courted vote, but Dems won out.
- Bloomberg: Grassroots Groups Key to Turning Out Asian American Voters
- NBC News: Asian Americans favored Democratic candidates in midterms, exit polls say
- City Limits: Language Access at the Polls, Explained
- PBS: Why Arabic ballots are now being offered in Michigan and what this means for voter access in the U.S.
- Legal Current: "It's humbling to be a part of life-changing work."
- CUNY TV: Redistricting — A Special Look
- Houston Public Media: Asian American and Pacific Islander voters are preparing to sue Texas for alleged discrimination in last year's redistricting
- Patch: Malden Commits To Chinese Language Election Accessibility Measures
- Texas Signal: A Small Part of SB1 is Struck Down
- Houston Chronicle: Court blocks new restrictions on voters’ assistants in Texas
- NPR: Texas is barred from enforcing new restrictions on voter assistance
- Texas Standard: Federal court strikes down voting law provision that limited assistance for voters with disabilities or limited English proficiency
- Staten Island Advance: Pro-immigrant rally held Tuesday outside Supreme Court as suit aims to block new voting rights
- City & State NY: Did the court’s draft maps sufficiently preserve communities of interest?
- Norwood News: Coalition Seeks to Stop Republican-Led Lawsuit Challenging the “Our City, Our Vote” Bill
- PoliticsNY: Coalition of Asian organizations demand representation in city redistricting
- Daily Kos: Thousands of ballots rejected in major test of Texas' restrictive voting laws
- Dallas Morning News: To comply with federal law, Dallas County adds Vietnamese translations to elections materials
- NY Daily News: Time for a new approach to redistricting: Embrace the Unity Map (Opinion)
- The City: Albany Democrats Seize Control of Redistricting, With Unclear Role for Public
- BK Reader: Brooklyn Neighborhood at the Center of Redistricting Battle
- City Limits: As NY Redistricting Forges Forward, Asian American Groups Push for ‘Unity Map’
- NPR: Asian American groups file a legal challenge to Texas' redistricting plans
- WDET: Hamtramck Ramps Up Efforts to Reach Bangladeshi Voters During Elections
- Public News Service: Lawsuit Claims Texas Redistricting Maps Disenfranchise Minority Voters
- Queens Daily Eagle: Redistricting Commission holds second hearing in Queens
- BK Reader: Unity Map Demonstrates Fair Election Districts are Possible for BK’s Communities of Color
- NBC News: Asian Americans favored Democrats by wide margin in high-profile races, exit polls say
- Dallas Morning News: Texas’ new political maps are law, but redistricting court battles have just begun
- CNBC: Gerrymandering could limit minority voters’ power even though Census shows population gains
- Gothamist: NYC's Population Hits A Record 8.8 Million, According To 2020 Census
- Gothamist: Divided Neighborhoods Press For More Political Sway With New Redistricting Maps
- Queens Chronicle: Queens zeroes in on redistricting
- India Currents: Rahima Begum Wins AALDEF Lawsuit To Vote In Bengali
- Associated Press: Detroit-area city will provide ballots in Bengali language
- Gothamist: "Redistricting Means Power": Everyday New Yorkers Get A Say In Carving Out Their District Lines
- Detroit Free Press: Hamtramck agrees to provide Bengali-language ballots, voting assistance in elections
- City & State NY: A historic 6 Asian American candidates win in City Council primaries
- News India Times: Hamtramck, Michigan, settles Voting Rights Act lawsuit on Bengali language assistance
- NBC News: How a Boston suburb corrected voter rights violations against Asian Americans
- Nevada Independent: Growing progressive force in the electorate; AAPI voters turn out at higher rates than 2016
- SupChina: How Chinese-American activism helped Georgia turn blue
- NBC Asian America: Asian Americans are growing fastest in Nevada. Here's how they voted.
- Vox: Asian Americans are seeing unprecedented outreach – but campaigns could still do better
- Scroll.in: 2020 US Election: In New Jersey's 'Little India', vocal Biden supporters and 'shy' Trump voters
- The Nation: If You Can't Speak English, Good Luck Voting in Trump's America
- Houston Chronicle: Growing Asian American population could help sway 2020 election
- Sampan: Immigrants face barriers to voting rights in upcoming election
- Axios - Kamala Harris and the political rise of America's Indian community
- NBC News: Democratic candidates take on Asian American Pacific Islander issues in Twitter
- NBC News: Asian Americans favor Biden, Warren while Yang lags behind, survey finds
- News India Times: Asian American exit poll in 3 states shows varied opinions
- Washington Post: What does Trump get out of appearing with Modi and appealing to Indian Americans, a group that largely disapproves of him?
- New York Times: At Rally for India's Modi, Trump Plays Second Fiddle but a Familiar Tune
- Politico: At a rally like no other, Trump woos Indian American voters ahead of 2020
- Agence France-Presse: In show of bond, Trump to join Modi in mass Houston rally
- Texas Tribune: Appeals court to weigh Texas voting law limiting language interpreters
- NBC News: Federal law allows nearly anyone to translate for voters. At polls, it can be a different story.
- Kings County Politics: Treyger, BK Lawmakers Call For More Interpreters At Polling Sites
- KPBS: Effort Launches To Mobilize Vietnamese Voters in San Diego
News
- Information Sheet: NY Voters' Rights Under the NYVRA
New York Voters' Rights Under the NYVRA
- Voting Rights