Asian-American Youth Voters

Earlier this week, I was watching one of the most interesting political comedy shows, Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj. For a while I've really enjoyed the show he puts on, because he speaks about a wide range of topics and is hilarious. This particular episode really fascinated me because the topic was Asian-American voters and how they have effected the 2018 midterms. I think this would be a great avenue for the class to explore as we have to be aware that we want to reach as wide a voter base as possible. However, not all voting blocks have a knowledge of how to access elections and since we are specifically targeting young people that may be double important.

I've inserted the episode link at the bottom, I couldn't find it on the blogger add video tab. The video covers the historical, social, and politically reasons why, until now Asian-Americans have not participate in the election system. It goes in depth on how things like access to native language ballots have helped, how calling the homes, and doing outreach in native language has awoken a huge amount of voters.

I understand that perhaps this may not seem to be relevant to the people we seek to reach, but I ask you, when you had to register to vote, who did you go too? If you're anything like me, I first went to my dad who told me that voting wasn't something he did and couldn't tell me how to. Luckily, I had my mom who is an avid voter to help me go through the process and fill out the forms. If my mom wasn't around or shared the same view on voting as my dad, I may not have registered. Now, imagine you are from an immigrant family who isn't that comfortable with political English. It would be far more work than 90% of teens and young adults would be willing to do on their own. However, this doesn't mean we shouldn't or couldn't help get them in touch with those resources.




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwFr6RX2Y40