With the Governor visiting China this week we decided to take a closer look at Chinese voters in the California electorate.
At the outset it is important to note that there are several Asian communities with significant voting populations in California. There are 1.5 million Asians on the voter rolls, and their populations break down as:
- 460,920 Filipino
- 434,867 Chinese
- 285,689 Vietnamese
- 157,707 Japanese
- 153,714 Korean
- 59,952 Other Southeast Asian
The turnout patterns for these different subgroups also varies. The following chart shows all Asian voters in the 2012 General Election in ages ranging from 18 to 85+.
Like the rest of the electorate, there is modest turnout among 18 year-olds who are experiencing their first election, then a big drop off until about the age of 35. But what it striking is how Japanese voters at all ages over-perform while Koreans under-perform, particularly among 50-60 year olds.
Chinese voters participate at a fairly average rate among Asian voters, but still below the statewide average, as we will see below.
Some other interesting facts about California’s Chinese voters that can be found in the PDI database:
- 20% of Chinese voters receive foreign language ballots – This rate increases to 25% among voters over 40 years old and drops to just 4% for voters under 40.
- 27% of all Chinese voters were born in the US. Among Chinese voters under 40 that increases to 54% born in the US, with 70% of them being born in California.
- The top birthplaces for Foreign Born Chinese voters are China (46%), Taiwan (19%) and Hong Kong (12%)
- Most Chinese voters live in households with only Chinese voters. Only 15% live with a non-Asian voter, and only 8% live with a voter from a different Asian subgroup.
Turnout for Chinese voters is lower than the general population. This is true in both Primaries and General Elections, and most striking in the Under 40 population where turnout in the past two primaries was 10% and 12% respectively. In the LA County table voters under 40, foreign born or receiving language ballots are all in the single digits in partisan primaries.
Statewide Turnout
| 2010 Primary | 2010 General | 2012 Primary | 2012 General | |
| ALL VOTERS | 29% | 53% | 29% | 72% |
| ASIAN | 24% | 46% | 24% | 66% |
| CHINESE | 23% | 46% | 25% | 64% |
| CHINESE UNDER 40 | 10% | 27% | 12% | 54% |
| FOREIGN BORN CHINESE | 10% | 26% | 12% | 51% |
| CHINESE LANGUAGE BALLOT | 16% | 34% | 16% | 44% |
LA County Turnout
| 2010 Primary | 2010 General | 2012 Primary | 2012 General | |
| ALL VOTERS | 20% | 46% | 19% | 65% |
| ASIAN | 16% | 39% | 17% | 58% |
| CHINESE | 14% | 36% | 17% | 54% |
| CHINESE UNDER 40 | 6% | 22% | 8% | 47% |
| FOREIGN BORN CHINESE | 5% | 19% | 8% | 42% |
| CHINESE LANGUAGE BALLOT | 7% | 21% | 8% | 35% |
Partisanship is also striking for the high number of voters who do not select one of the two major parties. (This can partly explain the extremely low turnout in the primary elections above. While non-partisans have been given the opportunity to vote in the new Open Primary, few actually do.)
The partisan divide is most dramatic among young Chinese immigrants with 62% registering as No Party Preference or with a smaller political party. While Democratic registration is more stable at 30%, only 8% of these voters are registering Republican. This is even more dramatic in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Statewide Registration
| DEM | REP | OTHER | |
| STATE | 44% | 29% | 27% |
| ASIAN | 36% | 25% | 39% |
| CHINESE | 29% | 17% | 53% |
| CHINESE UNDER 40 | 38% | 16% | 46% |
| BORN IN CHINA UNDER 40 | 30% | 8% | 62% |
San Francisco Registration
| DEM | REP | OTHER | |
| SFBAY | 52% | 16% | 32% |
| ASIAN | 39% | 16% | 45% |
| CHINESE | 32% | 11% | 56% |
| CHINESE UNDER 40 | 44% | 9% | 48% |
| BORN IN CHINA UNDER 40 | 31% | 5% | 64% |
The data used to make much of this posting can be obtained in a PDF format here: PDF [Full Statewide Chinese Voter Data Sheets]