New Report Reveals AAPI Voters As A Critical Margin of Victory for Georgia Elections
STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 15, 2022
CONTACT:
Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta, James Woo, jwoo@advancingjustice-atlanta.org
Atlanta, GA — Today, Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Atlanta (Advancing Justice-Atlanta) and the Asian American Advocacy Fund (AAAF) released a joint report - The Future of Voting: Asian American and Pacific Islander Voters in Georgia. Data from the report reveals that Georgia’s Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) electorate is an increasingly important voting bloc capable of delivering critical margins of victory at the city, county, state, and congressional levels.
The story of AAPI voters playing a critical role in the future of voting begins with recognizing the growing diversity of Georgia’s communities and many years of grassroots organizing within the state. AAPIs are the fastest growing population and electorate in Georgia. Since 2010, Georgia’s AAPI population has grown by 52%. With a total population of 486,327, the counties with the highest AAPI populations are: Forsyth (18%), Gwinnett (13.2%), Fulton (7.6%), DeKalb (6.6%), and Cobb (5.6%). According to the report,196,210 AAPIs in Georgia are registered voters. In 2020, AAPI voters had a record turnout rate of 64.6% with 45,000 first-time voters.
Advancing Justice-Atlanta and AAAF have been at the forefront of an unprecedented level of AAPI voter engagement, particularly during the 2020 general election and 2021 senate runoff election. In these elections, the country witnessed the power of the AAPI vote in the battleground state of Georgia. We saw more AAPI voters voting for Democrats (57.9% in the 2020 general election and 58.1% in the 2021 runoff). “In a state where the margins of victory are slim, the changing landscape of AAPI voting can make an immense impact. We have the numbers to win elections but it’s up to us and our partners to make sure we get our voters out to the polls,” Aisha Yaqoob Mahmood, Executive Director of AAAF.
Advancing Justice-Atlanta and AAAF continue to expand voter mobilization efforts in key constituencies building on the networks established in 2020, which turned out Asian American voters in critical numbers. Additionally, both organizations continue to leverage their partnership in fighting against voter suppression and for language accessibility at the polls – barriers which often hinder AAPI electoral power. “Despite our community’s growing electoral power, we must continue to fight for access to the ballot. Voter suppression is alive and well in Georgia, and it includes the lack of language equity in our elections, despite the diversity of our state. Advancing Justice-Atlanta and AAAF have been at the frontlines with other local civil rights groups fighting to protect every Georgian’s right to vote,” Phi Nguyen, Executive Director of Advancing Justice-Atlanta.
The Future of Voting: Asian American and Pacific Islander Voters in Georgia offers a glimpse into the future of AAPI voting power and how this voting bloc, in solidarity with Black and Brown voters in Georgia, can continue to drive Georgia forward.
About Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta. Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta is the first nonprofit legal advocacy organization dedicated to protecting and advancing the civil rights of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander (AANHPI) and Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian (AMEMSA) communities in Georgia and the Southeast. Advancing Justice-Atlanta’s work encompasses policy advocacy, organizing & civic engagement, impact litigation, and immigration legal services. Its vision is to build a social movement in which communities of color are fully empowered, active in civic life, and working together to promote equity, fair treatment, and self determination for all.
About Asian American Advocacy Fund, The Asian American Advocacy Fund is a grassroots 501(c)4 social welfare organization dedicated to building a politically-conscious, engaged, and progressive Asian American base in Georgia. To learn more about AAAF, visit https://www.asianamericanadvocacyfund.org/