THE number of Asian American eligible voters has skyrocketed over the past two decades and since 2020, according to a new study as the US goes to polls to elect a new president this year.
The report titled 'Key facts about Asian American eligible voters in 2024 revealed that in the past four years the Asian American eligible voter population grew by 15 per cent.
That far outpaces the growth rate of all eligible voters at 3 per cent, making them the fastest-growing electorate in the US.
A projected 15 million Asian Americans will be eligible to vote in November, according to the Pew Research Center study.
The group makes up just over 6 per cent of eligible voters, but its growth outpaced Hispanic eligible voters, who grew by 12 per cent. Asian Americans typically lean Democratic, the research said.
In 2020, 72 per cent of English-speaking, single-race, non-Hispanic Asian voters said they voted for Democrat Joe Biden for president, while 28 per cent said they voted for Republican Donald Trump, according to the study.
As of 2022, most Asian American eligible voters (55 per cent) live in only five states. California has the highest number of Asian American eligible voters by far (4.4 million). The state is home to nearly a third (31 per cent) of the entire US Asian electorate.
The states with the next-most Asian American eligible voters are New York (1.2 million), Texas (1.1 million), Hawaii (580,000) and New Jersey (575,000).
Hawaii, where Asian Americans constitute 55 per cent of the overall electorate, remains the only state in which a nonwhite group makes up the majority. The state also has the highest share of Asians who are registered to vote, at 7 in 10 Asians.
The group also has a significant presence in California, where they make up 17 per cent of the electorate, and Nevada, largely considered a swing state, at 11 per cent.
The report pointed out that Asian Americans are less likely than the overall population to be eligible to vote because of the large portion who are not US citizens.
Green card holders and those in the process of becoming permanent residents, for example, are ineligible. Among those who are eligible, the racial group has the highest proportion of naturalised citizens versus US-born.
(PTI)
Dharavi slum in Mumbai
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Man pleads not guilty to murder of BBC presenter's family
A 26-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering the wife and two daughters of BBC sports commentator John Hunt in a crossbow and knife attack.
Kyle Clifford, who also faces charges of rape, appeared via video link at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday.
Clifford, arrested in July after a manhunt, is charged with three counts of murder, one count each of rape and false imprisonment, and two counts of possessing offensive weapons – a 10-inch knife and a crossbow.
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session.
He is expected to enter a plea for that charge at a later date.
The victims were Carol Hunt, 61, wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28.
An earlier hearing revealed that Louise had been found tied up and that both she and her sister had been shot with a crossbow, while their mother had been stabbed with a knife.
The fatal attack occurred at the family’s home in Bushey, a commuter town near Watford, northwest of London.
(With inputs from AFP)