Getting Out the Vote among Asian Americans in Los Angeles County: The Effects of Phone Canvassing

Abstract

Asian Americans, one of the fastest growing segments of the American population, demonstrate the lowest turnout rates of any major ethnic or racial group (Jamieson, Shin and Day 2002). According to the Current Population Survey, 43 percent of Asian American citizens of voting age turned out in the 2000 Presidential election, compared to 62 percent of non-Latino whites, 57 percent of non-Latino blacks, and 45 percent of Latinos (Jamieson, Shin and Day 2002).2 In light of these stark racial gaps in voter turnout, research on Asian American political participation is critical for understanding the prospects for and limits to full participation in the United States among the country's increasingly diverse population. This study examines the effects of mobilization on political participation among Asian Americans, focusing in particular on whether telephone canvassing increases voter turnout among Asian Americans who live in high-density Asian American areas of Los Angeles County.