INTRODUCING CIVIC SEASON: Don’t Mess with Asian Texan Voters
Texas faces a unique civic landscape in 2024. We lead the nation in Asian & Pacific Islander American population growth, boasting the third largest population of AAPIs after California and New York. According to the US Census, there are 1.7 million AAPIs in Texas, many of whom contribute to the statistic of Asian Americans being the fastest growing electorate (eligible voter) population. We call this place home and have contributed to our state’s growth on multiple fronts.
While Texas has become the second most diverse state in the country, it’s also experiencing policies that have made it more difficult to help Texans register to vote leading up to the 2024 presidential election. From efforts preventing some counties to mailing out voter registration forms, to the prohibition of student-led voter registration on some college campuses, to the purging of voter registration records, Texas residents are being impacted by policies that make voter registration less accessible. Policies that discourage civic involvement are not new in Texas and have been challenged by voting rights groups in the past.
Here at Asian Texans for Justice (ATJ), we know that our vote is our power. Our mission is connecting Asian and Pacific Islander Texans to civic action to build personal and political power. Voting is a right that has been fought for by generations, and it’s our collective responsibility to exercise it. We want to help you and your loved ones register to vote.
As a non-partisan non-profit organization, we focus on growing the civic participation and representational power of AAPIs in Texas. We work with the current reality of advocacy and political power: elected officials are moved by their electorate (people who vote). AAPIs have largely been ignored in Texas due to their disproportionate lack of representation at the polls. We’re here to fix that.
Our formula is simple: increase the amount of registered AAPI voters + get AAPI voters to vote = demonstrate the significance of the AAPI community in Texas to elected officials. Making up roughly 6% of the overall population of the state, AAPIs have the ability to be the deciding margin in every election: local, state, and federal.
This civic season, we want to equip you with the tools to civically engage with your family, friends, and community. Stay up to date with us as we publish the rest of our series below:
How to talk to your AAPI community about registering to vote
How to talk to your AAPI community about early voting
How to talk to your AAPI community about voting
You can subscribe to our email for our Civic Season email series, where you’ll receive ONE email per month until November containing important election info, helpful guides, and events/involvement opportunities from Asian Texans for Justice. Subscribe here.
About the Author
Christina is the Communications & External Affairs Manager of Asian Texans for Justice. She is a Korean American creative, community builder, and comms professional based in Dallas, Texas. As the daughter and granddaughter of immigrants, Christina has a passion for advocating for Asian American communities in politics, society, and media.
