Historically, Asian Pacific Americans (APAs) have not participated actively in our democratic process. Voter turnout in our community lags behind that of whites and African-Americans. The percentage of the Asian American population registered to vote remains among the lowest of all ethnic groups.

Furthermore, there are a disproportionately small number of APA elected officials and candidates for political office. Although APAs now number 12 million and exceed four percent of the nation's population, we have only six members of Congress out of 535 (just over one percent).

This disproportionate under-representation is mirrored at the state level. In California, APAs have comprised ten percent or more of the population for years, but they have only in the last few years reached nine members in the state legislature, out of 120 (7.5%)

Greater Political Participation
The APA community has few national and visible role models, spokespersons, and leaders who are known to mainstream Americans. The APA community's failure to participate in politics stems from a number of factors, including ignorance of the political process, and a fear of government and politics that is rooted in the un-democratic countries from which many APAs emigrated.

However, as the fastest growing minority group in the United States, and as a group with an increasing number of community-specific social and political problems, it is increasingly important that APAs play an active role in American politics and government.