Asian Americans have been the country’s fastest-growing group of voters for the past 20 years. Since 2020, eligible AAPI voters have grown by 2 million.
KENT COUNTY, Mich. — “I remember very vividly when my parents became naturalized citizens,” said Charissa Huang in her Grand Rapids office. “I was in like, third grade. It was an evening ceremony, so they had a babysitter come and watch me for the evening. And when they came home, just the level of excitement that they had about finally being U.S. citizens after a very long road of working to get there, was just unforgettable.”
“The fact that they could finally vote was just so important to them,” she said.
Huang is the oldest daughter of Taiwanese immigrants.
Years after her parents cast their first ballots as new American citizens, Huang is now on the ballot for 17th Circuit Court Judge.
She’s also now the first Asian American to be on a Kent County ballot.
Huang’s candidacy comes after Bing Goei became the first Asian American to serve as a Grand Rapids City Commissioner for the Third Ward in March.
These historic firsts come as the county sees growing civic engagement among its Asian-American communities.
According to data collected by the Pew Research Center, Asian Americans have been the fastest-growing voting group for the past two decades.
In the past four years, the number of eligible Asian-American voters has grown by 15%.
“That’s 2 million,” said Huang. “Around 2 million people since 2020, and that’s compared with only 3% growth rate in the entire U.S. population of eligible…
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