New York City—Asian Americans, especially new citizens and first-time voters, turned out to vote in record numbers today, but many encountered barriers at polling places, ranging from inadequate language assistance, improper requests for identification, and missing names on voter rolls.
The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) dispatched over 1,400 attorneys, law students and community volunteers to over 130 polling places in 11 states with large Asian American populations, who recorded voter complaints and conducted a nonpartisan multilingual exit poll.
AALDEF executive director Margaret Fung said, "Asian Americans faced the same long lines, delays and poll worker confusion over ID requirements as other voters, but their problems were compounded by the lack of language assistance and occasional hostility toward new citizen voters..."
