This story is made possible through the support of The Asian American Foundation.
by Kam Shenai, President/Co-Founder of AAPI Coming Together (ACT Florida)
I’m a Baby Boomer with two grandchildren, ages 4 and 6. They can’t vote. They can’t even read yet. But the decisions Congress makes today—about national debt, healthcare, and education—will shape their entire lives. When I look at them, playing and laughing, I see why young AAPI voters must claim their rightful place in our democracy. Not for me, but for them.
A Demographic Revolution Has Already Happened
A historic shift has already occurred, quietly reshaping the foundation of American democracy. Millennials and Gen Z together now comprise 48.5% of eligible voters, surpassing Baby Boomers and fundamentally transforming the electoral landscape. Within this transformation, the AAPI community stands as one of the fastest-growing voting blocs in America—yet our voice remains dramatically underrepresented in the halls of power.
Young AAPI Americans have grown up navigating unique challenges: economic uncertainty, witnessing climate change accelerate, and inheriting a national debt that will burden them for decades. They care deeply about issues that will define the next fifty years: economic stability, affordable education, healthcare access, immigration reform, climate change and the crushing weight of fiscal irresponsibility passed down from previous generations.
Yet despite growing numbers and profound stakes, young AAPI Americans remain dramatically underrepresented where decisions about their future are made every single day.
The AAPI Turnout Gap: Untapped Power
In politics, numbers alone don’t equal influence. Turnout does. And here lies a defining challenge for our community—a gap that explains why policies don’t reflect AAPI priorities despite our status as the fastest-growing demographic.
In 2024, youth turnout (ages 18-29) was nearly 47%, while seniors 65 and older achieved nearly 75%. Within the AAPI community, this gap is compounded by language barriers, lack of targeted outreach, and a persistent sense that our voices don’t matter. When young AAPI Americans don’t vote, we surrender our collective voice to others who will make decisions about immigration, hate crime prevention, healthcare, economy, and national debt without our input.
The pattern of older Americans consistently outvoting younger ones has persisted across every election, creating a political reality where electoral power flows not to the largest demographic group, but to the most consistent one.
A Congress That Doesn’t Reflect AAPI America
The 119th Congress reflects this imbalance with striking clarity. The median age stands near 60, with only one Gen Z member among 535 members of Congress. And while AAPI comprises roughly 7% of the U.S. population and growing, we hold fewer than 4% of congressional seats.
The current Congress is making consequential decisions about immigration reform, hate crime legislation, education, climate policy, and healthcare equity—yet the chamber includes few voices who understand the nuanced experiences of AAPI families or the unique intersection of issues facing our diverse communities spanning East Asia to Southeast Asia to the Pacific Islands to South Asia.
This creates a fundamental mismatch: those with the shortest time horizons and the least understanding of AAPI lived experiences are making decisions with the longest-term consequences for our community.
The Power Waiting to Be Claimed
But here’s the truth that should electrify every young AAPI American: This imbalance isn’t structural. It’s not protected by law. It’s simply the result of choice—the choice to show up or stay home.
If young AAPI voters matched the turnout rates of older voters—if we brought that same 75% consistency to every election—our political landscape would transform immediately. The AAPI community’s collective voice would become impossible to ignore. Immigration reform that respects family unity would dominate the agenda. Policies addressing anti-Asian hate would receive serious attention. Healthcare that serves our diverse communities would be prioritized. Affordable education and economic opportunity would reflect our community’s values.
This is plain mathematics. The power already exists. It’s simply waiting to be exercised. And when AAPI voters show up, we don’t just change outcomes—we reshape what’s possible for our entire community.
A Spark of Hope in Our Community
Recently, I spoke with a young AAPI graduate about the importance of our community’s participation in the political process. Her response gave me profound hope. She said: “To be honest, our last meeting really inspired me to consider getting more involved in politics, especially after you mentioned the necessity of younger AAPI representation in Congress.”
That’s the spark we need—repeated across millions of young AAPI Americans who suddenly realize the power they already hold. Imagine that spark multiplying across our community. One conversation becomes ten. Ten becomes a hundred. A hundred becomes a movement. And suddenly, young AAPI Americans aren’t asking for a seat at the table—they’re claiming the representation we’ve already earned.
For Those Who Cannot Yet Speak
My grandchildren will inherit whatever we build today. The policies we enact on immigration, education, climate, healthcare equity, and hate crime prevention will be their lived reality for decades after my generation is gone.
As an AAPI elder, I think about what world we’re leaving for the next generation of our community. Will they grow up in an America that sees them, values them, and includes them? Will policies reflect an understanding of their experiences?
That’s why I’m not asking young AAPI Americans to vote for my sake, or even for their own. I’m asking them to vote for the four-year-old and six-year-old who have no voice yet, whose futures hang in the balance of decisions being made right now.
Every choice to stay home on election day is a choice to let someone else decide what world those children will inherit—and whether that world will truly see and value AAPI Americans.
Final Thoughts
AAPI represents the fastest-growing demographic in the nation. We’ve already won the demographic battle. The only battle left is turnout. And the moment that gap closes—even slightly—America’s political landscape will be reshaped by voices that have been too long overlooked.
The future isn’t something distant or abstract. It is here, now, in this moment—and it is ready for young AAPI Americans to claim what is already rightfully ours.
All that’s needed now is the simplest, most powerful act in a democracy: Show up. Vote. Lead. The future is calling. Young AAPI America holds the answer.
Kam Shenai,
President/Co-Founder, AAPI Coming Together (ACT Florida)
Registration is closed for Common Ground: Building Together conference and gala award banquet in San Francisco on January 24. A shoutout to our planning committee: Jane Chin, Frank Mah, Jeannie Young, Akemi Tamanaha, Nathan Soohoo, Mark Young, Dave Liu, and Yiming Fu.
We are published by the non-profit Asian American Media Inc and supported by our readers along with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, AARP, The Henri and Tomoye Takahashi Charitable Foundation, The Asian American Foundation & Koo and Patricia Yuen of the Yuen Foundation.
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