Historically, Asian Americans have been known to be vastly complaisant in the field of politics. In fact, according to Pew Research Center, Asians only made up 3.6% of all voters in 2016: the lowest percentage, despite being one of the largest minorities in the US. This low voter turnout is mainly due to the impression that the issues this country faces rarely affect our minority group; however, this couldn't be further from the truth. As the 2020 election inches closer, a growing rift in the two-party system threatens a lack of compromise and standstill in the government, impacting every one of us. At this time, political involvement is more essential than ever. When the threat to our security is at our doors, we must put our fundamental rights to use in order to preserve our quality of life and be represented at the table.
Urgency
Currently, Asian Americans lack the voice necessary to shine a light on the multiple problems we face in this country. Impactful issues such as income divide, FBI investigations, Affirmative Action, and many more are often left unaccounted for, leaving Asian Americans to sit back and deal with the repercussions. The government needs to know that Asian Americans deserve to be considered in political discussions as much as every other US citizen. It is the duty of our community to understand the global and domestic political climate that directly and use our voting rights to combat the lack of government engagement within our community.
The Impact
When we hopefully see the large spikes in Asian American voting numbers this coming election, policymakers, the media, and the general populous will begin to pay attention to the problems we need fixed. However, we cannot achieve this if half of our population is not educated on obstacles the other half suffers from. Thus, it is vital that we come together to tell candidates that they cannot push us aside and ignore our issues in favor of a community with more voters. Spreading awareness will let the world know why everything from trade to healthcare to climate change matters to us, and most importantly, why being a proud Asian American matters to us.