Reporting from a new generation of journalists. » Mira Jang

Asian Vote Turning Blue?

Mira Jang — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 20:28:54 +0000

With the continuing shift of Asian Americans to the Democratic Party, and as more Asian Republicans and independents become disillusioned with the status quo, does Barack Obama has the potential to capture a large majority of these voters? That’s what I found through extensive interviews with Asian voters in Southern California and discussions with political scientists and other experts who study the Asian vote.

Those findings are detailed in a comprehensive online package on the News21 site. An extensive text piece is complemented by various multimedia components, including a video portrait of a pro-Obama Chinese-American family, and audio clips from both McCain and Obama supporters, plus an interactive map tracking Asian-American population centers around the United States.

Assessing the Asian American Vote

Mira Jang — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 21:03:43 +0000

Asian Americans make up the smallest racial group in the country, comprising about 5 percent (14.4 million) of the population. Yet they are the fastest growing sector, rising by 3 percent from 2004 to 2005, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. With continuing immigration from Asia–especially China, India, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Korea–and as Asian Americans become more politically engaged, how will they affect American politics?

The upcoming presidential election presents a valuable opportunity to understand how Asian Americans perceive the candidates and how they will vote as a group or as individuals. In the California primary, we know that Asian Americans backed Clinton 3-1, although it’s not clear why Clinton picked up the Asian vote and why Obama didn’t. There are very few polls–both national and local–on Asian Americans and political participation and a dearth of stories on Asian American voters.

However, extensive reporting on the ground from regions such as Southern California will help tell their stories. Later this month, I will report from Los Angeles for two weeks. By the end of July, I will complete a multimedia project that explores key aspects of the Asian American vote for News21.

Editorial Praises Ariz. Gov. After Immigration Enforcement Veto

Mira Jang — Sun, 04 May 2008 01:01:24 +0000

As Arizona grapples with the state’s large undocumented immigrant population, Gov. Janet Napolitano last Monday vetoed a bill that would have required all police officers and sheriffs to enforce immigration laws by partnering with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, or by receiving immigration training. Napolitano said the hefty price tag, which could top $100 million, would burden the state because there was no guarantee of federal funding to implement the bill.

The veto comes on the heels of the decision by lawmakers in Prince William County, Va., to stop offering some services to undocumented immigrants and to require police to check the immigration status of crime suspects (see our blog post of May 2). The Washington Post reported Monday that Prince William’s County’s new rules have pushed out undocumented immigrants, who fled to nearby counties.

In Arizona’s Maricopa County, Sheriff Joe Arpaio has already trained 160 officers, the biggest in the country, to target Latino neighborhoods (see our blog post of March 18). Despite Arpaio’s immigration sweeps, 63 percent of county voters said the sheriff is doing an excellent job or a good job, as reported in The Arizona Republic.

While Napolitano stood against the views of some Arizona residents, a Wednesday editorial in The New York Times applauded the governor’s stance as an act of reason at a time when immigration raids and curtailing services have been seen as solutions for many. “She is standing up for what is right for her state and for what is right,” The Times editorial said. “The search for a rational immigration system will not be resolved by simplistic, predatory enforcement schemes.”