FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 1, 2021
Contact: media@napawf.org

WASHINGTON — The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) strongly condemns today’s Supreme Court opinion, which, in a 6-3 ideological split, ruled that Arizona’s voting restrictions did not violate the Voting Rights Act by discriminating against racial minorities.

Arizona passed two laws which mandate throwing away ballots cast at the wrong precinct and criminalizing anyone besides the voter’s postal worker, election worker, family member, household member, or caregiver to collect mail-in ballots.

The parties challenging the two laws pointed out that the laws had a negative impact on Arizona’s Native American, Hispanic, and African-American populations.

Data from ASIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER AMERICAN VOTE (APIAVOTE) reveal that from 2008 to 2012, the number of eligible AAPI voters in Arizona grew 25%. This compares to an 8.1% growth rate for the statewide eligible voting population between 2008 to 2012. The effect of the ruling could subject these voters to a similar negative impact described in the case.

In 2020 across the country, AAPI women came out in record numbers to vote.

NAPAWF recently released the largest survey of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women ever conducted – “Perspectives and Priorities of AAPI Women”.  The survey revealed, among other important insights, how AAPI women now form a powerful voting bloc. The study showed that:

  • AAPI women were more motivated to vote last year than in previous years

  • There was a 15% increase in presidential voting between 2020-2016

  • 4 out of 5 reported being registered to vote

  • 1 out of 6 women voters were voting for the first time (Mail-in voting)

“As the fastest–growing population in the United States, we are voting more than ever. It is no coincidence that as we flex our political muscles, states have restricted our access to the ballot. They have noticed our increased voter participation and demand for our rights to make decisions about ourselves, families, and communities,” said NAPAWF Executive Director Sung Yeon Choimorrow.

“Today’s ruling was the result of a multi-pronged attack, which included years of court-packing with severely inexperienced and ideological conservative judges and justices, resulting in the 6-3 superconservative majority in the highest court,” Ms. Choimorrow noted.

“We need to expand the Court to fix it.”

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The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) is the only multi-issue, progressive, community organizing and policy advocacy organization for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women and girls in the U.S. NAPAWF’s mission is to build collective power so that all AAPI women and girls can have full agency over our lives, our families, and our communities.