AAPI Victory Alliance on the Likely Undercount of AAPIs in The Census

AAPI Victory Alliance on the Likely Undercount of AAPIs in The Census

WASHINGTON — On behalf of the AAPI Victory Alliance, Executive Director Varun Nikore issued the following statement in response to the likely undercounting of AAPI in the recent U.S. census:

“We are closely monitoring the situation around the initial U.S Census numbers as well as potential litigation efforts. If it turns out that the proposed  Trump-era  Citizenship question disincentivized AAPIs to turn in Census forms then we may consider further actions, including challenging the issue in our courts.

“Let me be clear: Lack of accurate representation in the U.S. Census would be pulling the chair out from under us right as we’ve gained a seat at the table. AAPIs increased our electoral power an astounding 46% from 2016 to 2020. We are the fastest growing group in the nation. We are here to stay.

“What we’ve been witnessing over the past year is the growing economic and political power of AAPIs in this country. Yet in critical states like Texas, Florida, and Arizona, we are almost sure of an undercount in the census because state leadership refused to invest in the counting of our communities. An inaccurate census count threatens fair political representation and proper resource allocation to our AAPI community. We will not remain silent on this and will pursue all avenues to make sure our voices are heard. “

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The AAPI Victory Alliance as a policy and advocacy organization works in partnership with the AAPI Victory Fund along with legislators at the federal and state level to move and implement policies that benefit AAPI communities from a diverse lens, harness last year’s record voter engagement, build grassroots support of candidates who prioritize the AAPI community, and works on policy proposals to improve hate crime reporting and response.