Obama Election Watch

Asians make up 5 percent of the total American electorate. A 2004 survey by the Asian American Legal Defense and Educational Fund found that Asians are more likely — by a whopping 4 to 1 margin — to identify with the Democratic Party than the Republican Party.

But Obama may have work to do to shore up his support among Asian-American voters. Exit polls in the California primary show that Clinton walloped Obama among Asian voters by a 3 to 1 margin.

A recent study conducted by researchers at UCLA finds that Asians are far less likely to register to vote than other Americans. Nationwide, less than half of Asian-American adults are registered to vote compared to more than two thirds of non-Asian Americans. And those Asian Americans who are registered to vote are less likely to go to the polls than Americans generally. In 2006, 33 percent of Asian Americans actually voted compared to 48 percent of non-Asians.

A reason for the low voting rate among Asian Americans is that large numbers of them are recent immigrants to this country. Also, many do not come from families or nations with a tradition of participating in a democratic process. Language can often be a barrier. Many Asian Americans tend to be unfamiliar with voter registration procedures and often do not know the location of their local polling place.

As is well known, the Asian-American vote is heavily concentrated in the state of California. Although their vote is large — about 13 percent of all California voters — Asian-American voters there do not have the numbers to change election results. Most political analysts believe that McCain’s money disadvantage will keep him from competing in California where the many large media markets make statewide television advertising extremely costly.

But there are other states where the Asian vote could play a deciding role. Among the states where Asians make up at least 5 percent of the electorate are Virginia and Nevada, two states where polls now show the Obama-McCain contest to be a dead heat.

There are more than 400,000 Asian Americans in Virginia. In the 2006 Senate election in Virginia, Democratic candidate James Webb pulled 76 percent of the Asian-American vote against incumbent GOP senator George Allen. If instead the two had split the Asian vote with each candidate receiving 50 percent, Allen would have been reelected to the Senate.

Virginia has been a red state favoring the GOP candidate in recent presidential elections. But some say that Virginia is now a blue-red or purple state. Therefore, the Obama campaign might consider an outreach program for Asian Americans in Virginia to improve his chances to win the state’s 13 electoral votes.

Here are some possible tactics:

• The Obama organization can place campaign materials at restaurants, stores, and businesses in communities with large concentrations of Asians. Most of the Asian-American communities are in Fairfax County outside of Washington, D.C. In fact there are four voting precincts in Fairfax County where Asians make up a majority of the electorate and a dozen more where Asians are at least 20 percent of the population. These clusters are in Fairfax City, Merrifield, Falls Church, Reston, Tysons Corner, Annandale, and Oakton.

• The Asian-American student organizations at the University of Richmond, the University of Virginia, and Virginia Tech could be a solid resource to supply volunteers for the Obama effort.

• There is an Asian-American chamber of commerce in Virginia whose members might be persuaded to volunteer for the Obama campaign. The Asian-American community tends to be tightly knit and conservative. Yet, gaining the support of Asian American business leaders could provide a boost to Obama’s efforts to get out the Asian vote.

• A nonpartisan voter registration drive could be launched through the Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans of Virginia, which is headquartered in the city of Reston.

• Additional information could be placed on the Asian language pages at the Obama Web site. The Obama campaign could provide pertinent information on voter registration and polling places geared specifically to aid Asian-American voters. Perhaps an Asian language e-mail form can be presented allowing Asian voters to ask questions or to sign up for assistance to get to the polls on Election Day.

The Obama mission is strong on issues important to Asian Americans. These include immigration reform, support for small businesses, and education programs for students who use English as a second language. Given proper attention Virginia’s 13 electoral votes could be won by Obama with Asian-American voters providing him with the margin of victory.