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Using data from the 2000 Current Population Survey (CPS) November Voter Supplement collected by the United States Census of Bureau, this research compares and analyzes voter turnout rates of six major Asian immigrant groups: Chinese, Japanese, Filipinos, Asian Indians, Koreans, and Vietnamese. Two research questions are addressed: Do different Asian groups vote at different rates? Do naturalization and voter registration affect the voter turnout? The results of the study help better understand variation in voter turnout rates of different Asian groups, by identifying whether naturalization and voter registration have a significant impact on it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data from the 2000 Current Population Survey (CPS) November Voter Supplements collected by the U.S. Census of Bureau, this research will compare and analyze the citizenship, registration, and voter turnout rates of six major Asian immigrant groups: Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, and Vietnamese. Preliminary findings indicate that the largest difference among the six groups is in the citizenship rate. Asian immigrants when viewed as one single group have a citizenship rate of 46 percent-. In contrast, the citizenship rate varies from a high of 63 and 60 for Filipinos and Vietnamese, respectively to a low of 32 and 31 for Indian and Japanese. Clearly the Asian rate does not adequately represent these Asian groups. Registration and voter turnout rates also show differences. More importantly, the pattern of which group is highest and lowest varies. For example, foreign born Japanese, one of the lowest groups in terms of acquiring citizenship, have one of the highest voter registration rates. This descriptive information suggests that factors affecting one event such as naturalization may differ from factors affecting subsequent events, such as registration and voter turnout. In analyzing these three events, we take into account their interrelationship by sequentially analyzing voter registration among the ~{!0~}at risk~{!1~} naturalized foreign born group and then analyzing voter turnout among the ~{!0~}at risk~{!1~} registered group. Drawing on prior research, both demographic and socioeconomic factors are included. In addition, immigration related factors will include not only age at arrival and length of time in the United States, but also a look at the unique historical and current political relationship between each Asian nation and the U.S. This study calls attention to the persistence of ethnic diversity in political participation. By providing a more comprehensive understanding of immigrants~{!/~} political participation, it will give policy holders and local political advocators suggestive insights on how to mobilize minority members of this country more effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]