More Asian-Americans voting in O.C., study finds

The Asian Pacific American Legal Center finds a 68 percent increase from 2000 to 2004.

By DEEPA BHARATH

The Orange County Register 10/17/06

WESTMINSTER – The percentage of Orange County Asian-Americans who voted in 2004 grew by 68 percent compared with 2000, according to a study released today.

The Asian Pacific American Legal Center of Southern California study, based on exit polls during the 2004 general elections, also shows that 62 percent of Vietnamese voters used translated informational material and ballots, as did 48 percent of Korean voters.

The numbers are significant because it shows the need to reach out to these communities to enhance their civic participation, said Dan Ichinose, project director with the Asian Pacific American Legal Center.

"The study shows that in cities such as Garden Grove and Westminster, Asian-Americans are not only living there, but are getting increasingly involved," he said.

The study included 137,583 Asian-Americans in Orange County who are registered voters.

However, Asian-Americans are still lagging behind when compared to the rest of the county population, Ichinose said. For example, while 68 percent of Asian-Americans voted in 2004, voter turnout was 73 percent for the rest of the county, he said.

The study also showed that Asian-Americans tend to shy away from party affiliations and vote based on issues. A large section of Asian-American voters – 80 percent – are foreign-born, according to the study.

One important factor in encouraging Asian-American voters is certainly continuing the effective use of bilingual materials, Ichinose said.

"People question the need for bilingual materials," he said. "But this study clearly shows that a large number of Asian-Americans need them and have used them in the 2004 general elections."

In July, President Bush signed into law a voting-rights act that extended protections for minority voters for 25 years, through 2032, including language assistance in areas with voters who have limited English proficiency.

Bilingual materials are invaluable even to those who are proficient in English, said Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Santa Ana.

"That's because of the complexity of the information," she said. "It's not easy to understand and digest that information even if English is your native language. Imagine how difficult it must be for people whose first language is not English.''