A poll published in October, which billed itself as the first multi-ethnic survey of Asian voters, showed a third of Asian voter were undecided, with 41 percent going for Obama and 24 percent for McCain. Now, a CNN exit poll shows Asian voters, who made up 2 percent of the national electorate, went for Obama 62 percent to 35 percent.

Why did most of the undecided Asians vote for the Democrat? The multi-ethnic survey that showed a third of Asians undecided was taken when the candidates were essentially deadlocked and before the economic crisis became acute. Since 80 percent of the Asian voters surveyed said at the time that the economy was their number one issue, it seems likely that the crisis swayed their votes.

Interestingly, a 2006 exit poll conducted by Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund showed 79 percent of Asian Americans voting Democratic, a larger share than Obama got this time. That multi-lingual survey, conducted in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Michigan, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., indicated that Democratic Senate candidate Jim Webb would not have won that year without Asian support.

More important than how Asians are actually voting, however, is that they have emerged as a demographic to be targeted. Though they make up a small percentage of the population, they are the fastest-growing immigrant group, and in purple states like Virginia they have made a difference.

Obama seemed more aware of Asian voters’ potential than his opponent, and his campaign deliberately targeted them (see video below). Also, though it was not affiliated with the campaign, the active group Asian Americans for Obama helped spread the Democrat’s message to Asians and Pacific Islanders, touting especially the candidate’s Hawaiian roots.

More details about immigrant voters will be available early next year, after a survey by the Project for Equity Representation and Governance at Texas A&M is finished. This ambitious survey will look at turnout, voter attitudes, and the use of technology among different ethnicities.