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Excerpt of an article from The City.
The most recent Census data found there are more than 1.5 million Asian Americans in New York City — and more than 735,000 are voting age, according to data compiled by the Asian American Foundation. That makes up 13% of the total voting-age New Yorkers, which has steadily increased since 2011.
Yet Asian voters have the smallest registration rates in the entire city, and smaller turnout rates.
Andrew Sta Ana, the interim co-executive director of the Asian American Federation, which is a nonprofit organization in New York City, said they’re working on voter education and plan to hold a town hall with mayoral candidates before the June 24 primary.
Their Ballot Builder is an interactive tool published in eight languages to show voters what they can expect at an election site.
“For us, providing that kind of basic civic education is actually a perennial issue,” he said, saying candidates can spend time with the very diverse communities to understand their needs. “Our community is not a monolith.”
Mollenkopf said Asian voters are less likely to be registered with a party, cutting them out of primary elections. (New York has a closed primary system, meaning only people within a party can vote.)
And newer voters may also still not be acclimated to the city’s sometimes bewildering election process.
“There’s a reason why older Jewish voters on the Upper West Side are the most likely voters — that group’s been here struggling for political empowerment for 100 years,” he said.
To read the entire article: https://www.thecity.nyc/2025/03/27/who-votes-turnout-elections-voting/
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