PROJECT VOTE
MEDIA KIT
OP-ED/EDITORIAL
From Refugees to Citizens – 2004 is the year of the Southeast Asian American Vote
Since the first wave of refugees from Southeast Asia came to the United States starting in 1975,
newcomers from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam have contributed to American society. As more
and more Southeast Asian Americans make the transition from refugee to citizen, they make
increasing political, economic, and cultural contributions to American society.
As more Southeast Asian Americans naturalize, our votes become increasingly important. With
close to two million Southeast Asian Americans living in the United States and over 6,000
Cambodian Americans eligible to vote in Long Beach alone, our votes make a huge impact in
our community. Cambodian Americans represent over four percent of the population in the city
of Long Beach, and when voter participation rates are taken into account, four percent can make
a visible difference in an election. When one takes into account that our community is almost
evenly split between the two major parties (for example, in Long Beach, California, 31% of
Cambodian American voters are registered as Democrats and 39% as Republicans), our voting
power needs to be recognized.
What happens when our voting power as citizens is recognized? Our access to elected officials
can make a real difference in the lives of our community members. For instance, Hmong and
Laotian American community leaders have built relationships with members of Congress to pass
the Hmong Veterans Naturalization Act. This has allowed many Hmong and Lao American
veterans who served with the U.S. military to waive language requirements for their citizenship
tests and become full members of American society.
Our voices and our votes still need to be heard. One issue important to many Southeast Asian
Americans is the time limits on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) for refugees. As a result of
laws passed in 1996, elderly and disabled refugees are allowed only seven years to receive SSI
unless they become U.S. citizens. As we know, many Southeast Asian Americans are unable to
become citizens within seven years, often for the very reasons that they depend on SSI – because
they are disabled or unable to learn English quickly because they are elderly, for example. As a
result, 2,400 vulnerable refugees and asylees from all ethnic groups have already been cut off
from the assistance they need to survive. Too few elected officials have truly engaged with
Southeast Asian Americans to hear the devastating impact losing such assistance has on our
families and loved ones.
When we vote, we get the attention of lawmakers who feel accountable to us for their jobs and
influence. When we vote, we receive the attention we deserve as contributing members of
American society.
If you are a U.S. citizen, register to vote now, and vote in the November elections. Your families
and communities deserve it.
For information about Southeast Asian Americans and voting, as well as materials to promote
voting in English and Southeast Asian languages, visit www.napalc.org.
TEN THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW
ABOUT THE SOUTHEAST ASIAN AMERICAN VOTE
1. The Asian American Vote is rising – While the number of votes cast by whites in the presidential
election rose by 4.3% between 1996 and 2000, the number of AAPI votes rose by 22%.1
2. Asian Americans play a crucial role in swing states – In swing states such as Nevada and
Washington, Asian Americans make up more than 5% of potential voters. In the city of Wausau,
Wisconsin, Hmong Americans comprise close to 4% of the total population.
3. Asian Americans are less likely to register to vote that whites and blacks – Asian Americans
would have 500,000 additional voters if they had registered at the same rate as white citizens.
4. Poverty is on the rise for Asian American families – Recent Census reports indicate that Asian
Americans are also experiencing increased poverty rates. For those who indicated Asian as their
only race, 11.8% lived in poverty in 2003, up from 10.1% in 2002.
5. There are over 1.8 million Southeast Asian Americans according to the 2000 Census.
6. Southeast Asian Americans are NOT the model minority – For the overall population of people
aged 25 or over, 24.4% hold bachelor’s degrees but only 9.1% of Cambodian Americans, 7.4%
of Hmong Americans and 7.6% of Laotian Americans in this age group hold bachelor’s degrees.
7. Southeast Asian Americans also lag behind in income – According to the 2000 Census,
Cambodian Americans’ per capita income was $10,215, while for Hmong Americans the per
capita income was even lower at $6,613. This is compared to a per capita income of $21,587 for
the overall U.S. population.
8. Many Southeast Asian Americans struggle to learn English – According to the 2000 Census,
45% of Vietnamese American households reported that they were linguistically isolated while
35% of Hmong American households reported that they were linguistically isolated.
9. Southeast Asian American hold diverse political affiliations – In research done by the Asian
Pacific American Legal Center, 31% of Cambodian American registered voters in Long Beach
identified themselves as Democrats while 39% identified themselves as Republicans.
10. In Long Beach, large numbers of Cambodian American voters voted by absentee ballot –
Research carried out by the Asian Pacific American Legal Center showed that 36% of
Cambodian American voters in Long Beach voted via absentee ballot in the 2000 Presidential
election.
1
From the Urban Institute Immigration Studies Program, “Election 2004: Latino and Asian Vote.”
PROJECT VOTE
SOUTHEAST ASIAN AMERICAN VOTER GUIDE
I n the coming election, your vote will be important in deciding the direction of your
country, state, county and city. Policies and legislation at all levels of government
have a direct impact on the quality of your life as a Southeast Asian American. It is
therefore important to know the issues and policies that directly impact your community.
We hope you can use this voter guide to see how supportive candidates are to your issues
and what kind of impact ballot initiatives would have on your community.
Enriching the Lives of Southeast Asian American Senior Citizens
Southeast Asian American seniors continue to add to the strength of the Asian American
community and the nation. They have significant needs in the areas of health care, housing,
public benefits, employment, and public safety. Last year thousands of disabled and elderly
refugees lost their Supplemental Security Income (SSI). This is due to a 1996 law that states that
any refugee who came to the United States after August 22, 1996 would only be able to receive
SSI for seven years if they did not become citizens. Therefore, our community should:
• Support the restoration of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) eligibility for post August
22, 1996 immigrants and the limitation of sponsor liability to a five-year deeming period.
Empowering Asian Americans to Overcome Poverty
A difficulty in serving the needs of the Southeast Asian American population is the assumption
that there is little poverty throughout the community. The 2000 Census found that there were
over 300,000 Southeast Asian Americans living below the poverty level. The 2000 poverty rate
was 38% for Hmong Americans, 29% for Cambodian Americans, 19% for Laotian Americans,
and 16% for Vietnamese Americans.1 Meanwhile, the percentage of those living below the
poverty level for non-Hispanic whites is 7.8% and 24.7% for African Americans. One of the
policies that can help ensure that Southeast Asian Americans living in poverty do not fall
through the cracks is the Temporary Assistance to Need Families (TANF) Program. To ensure
that this program effectively serves and supports Southeast Asian Americans, we must:
• Support the economic empowerment of Southeast Asian Americans with a welfare bill
that truly brings women and families out of poverty.
o English as a second language classes should be allowed for longer than the
current three-month limit.
o The TANF Act should be adjusted to address the fact that domestic and sexual
violence is a barrier to economic stability as well as to safety.
1
President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, AAPIs: A People Looking Forward,
Washington, D.C., January 2001, p. 10.
A Home for All: Community and Economic Development
Low-income Southeast Asian Americans need affordable, safe and secure housing. Elected
officials must:
• Assure fair and affordable housing opportunities for low-income Southeast Asian
Americans.
• Provide access to housing assistance for immigrant Southeast Asian Americans.
• Strengthen the capacity of community development and community-based organizations
to serve the housing needs of low-income Southeast Asian American communities.
Educating the Forgotten Student
As with poverty statistics, the “model minority” stereotype leads to an assumption that Asian
American students need little assistance. In fact, serious challenges exist for Southeast Asian
American students – specifically, Cambodian and Hmong American students. There is a
substantial need for programs and funding to assist the many Southeast Asian American students
who must learn English as they learn their other subjects. Ask your elected official to:
• Assure that there is adequate funding for the implementation of the No Child Left Behind
Act (NCLB).
• Support full funding of minority outreach programs for access to higher education.
• Support more resources for English language learners.
• Support the Asian American and Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AAPISI), which
designates institutions of higher education that serve significant pockets of Asian
American and Pacific Islander students.
Including Southeast Asian Americans in the Local Government Program
Local governments have not done well in serving the Southeast Asian American community. By
bringing more Southeast Asian Americans into government at all levels, the government will
better understand the community and its needs. The community needs to:
• Appoint qualified Southeast Asian American men and women with records of community
involvement to all levels of government.
• Get more involved with local politics and begin to hold politicians accountable for their
promises to the community and push for more solutions to problems faced by the
community.
Southeast Asian American Voter Guide
Page 2 of 3
Preserving the Franchise
The Voting Rights Act was originally passed to protect the rights of African Americans seeking
to vote. While the rights of Southeast Asian Americans and others were also protected, it was
not until the Voting Rights Language Assistance Act was passed in 1992 that the law addressed
the needs of voters requiring language assistance. We must:
• Ensure that voters are able to vote by opposing discriminatory practices at the polls and
advocating for language assistance by the local election officials.
Immigration: The Door to America’s Future
The immigration system of the U.S. faces serious trouble, from lengthy bureaucratic delays to
lack of information. Already, Cambodian legal permanent residents are being deported to
Cambodia, often without due process and knowledge of the legal system. Furthermore,
thousands of Public Interest Parolees eligible to apply for a green card are denied access because
of an unfair cap on adjustment. We must:
• Clear bureaucratic obstacles to citizenship such as the cap on adjustment for Southeast
Asian American Public Interest Parolees.
• Provide meaningful, individualized, and independent consideration in judicial removal
proceedings with guaranteed access to counsel. Eliminate mandatory detention for
individuals who do not pose a danger to the community or present a risk of flight.
• Keep civil immigration enforcement a matter for federal officials only.
• Support the Development Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act/Student
Adjustment Act.
Language Access
With a majority of Southeast Asian Americans born outside the U.S. and a significant number of
Southeast Asian Americans being of limited English proficiency (LEP), the ability to
communicate has a direct impact on substantive rights and opportunities. Services for LEP
persons are important to their health, ability to find work, and their ability to access important
benefit programs. To ensure the continued existence of these services, we must encourage
elected officials to:
• Appropriate funds for language access programs.
• Oppose national origin discrimination affecting LEPs.
• Increase funding for English acquisition courses for immigrants regardless of their date of
entry under the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program.
• Oppose discriminatory English-only ideals, including English-only provisions at the
federal, state, and local levels and workplace English-only rules that are not necessary for
legitimate business purposes.
Southeast Asian American Voter Guide
Page 3 of 3
MEDIA CONTACT LIST
Andrew Rice
Media Relations Manager
National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium
1140 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.
Suite 1200
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 296-2300
Facsimile: (202) 296-2318
Email: arice@napalc.org
Website: http://www.napalc.org
Terry M. Ao
Staff Attorney
National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium
1140 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.
Suite 1200
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 296-2300
Facsimile: (202) 296-2318
Email: tao@napalc.org
Website: http://www.napalc.org
TC Duong
Southeast Asian American Advocacy Initiative
Southeast Asia Resource Action Center
1628 16th Street, N.W.
3rd Floor
Washington, DC 20009-3099
Phone: (202) 667-4690
Facsimile: (202) 667-6449
Email: tcduong@searac.org
Website: http://www.searac.org