Asian American voter registration growth leads all other demographic groups, according to new analysis.

Sarah Poontong, 49, became a citizen late last year and one of her first tasks upon becoming such was registering to vote. She represents an encouraging trend: Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders have seen the highest increase in voter registration since January compared to that same timeframe of 2020’s election cycle. That was revealed to NBC News by APIAVote and TargetSmart, two civic engagement nonprofits which collaborated in analysis presented first by them to NBC News. Experts attribute these gains to an increase in first-generation immigrants becoming naturalized citizens as well as younger U.S.-born Asian American voters coming of age and more efforts being put in to register more voters for each race and party. From 1960 to 2019, Asia saw a 29-fold surge in immigration into America from 1960, and Asian immigrants were more likely than the overall foreign-born population to become naturalized citizens. Since 2020, Asians represent one of the fastest-growing groups among eligible voters – which holds true in Poontong as well. She noted her sense of being excluded as an Asian immigrant from Thailand with factory worker parents – often feeling as if her vote did not count and never casting one herself. Poontong couldn’t stand by while events unfolded at the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6 until she witnessed its insurgency – at which she later recognized just how essential voting in both local elections and presidential ones would be, said Poontong, who lives and works in Chicago as operations and finance executive. “So I decided to consciously pursue citizenship and register to vote, casting my first ballot during the primaries elections.” Christine Chen, Executive Director of APIAVote, attributes their gains not only to an expanding population becoming eligible to vote but also the political momentum and activism against anti-Asian racism that galvanized Asian American communities during last election cycle and pandemic outbreak. Such organizing was spearheaded largely by groups that have long supported get-out-the-vote campaigns, drawing more awareness to voting and civic participation, she stated. Chen stressed the significance of such work given that Asian American and Pacific Islander voters exceeded margins of victory in multiple states during 2020 elections – Georgia being among them. There’s just this feeling that they don’t belong somewhere safe or secure,” she noted. “So it is essential for us to give them voice.” “People want change,” Chen noted. “They understand this equation is part of it all – that they must embrace and participate actively.” Researchers studied national voter registration data up to June 4 – the date all 50 states released their numbers – and compared them with voter registration figures from 2020 at this same point in time. Their research discovered that registration among Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders increased 43%– from 554,682 voters to 787,982. That represents more than twice the increase seen among Black voters or white ones. Chen stated that historically Asian Americans hadn’t experienced dramatic increases in political participation. That changed significantly during 2020 presidential election when there was a double-digit surge in voter turnout by Asian Americans. Chen reported that in recent years more resources and community organizations had dedicated resources and time towards increasing voter turnout. “Leading up to 2020, more efforts from within our communities were undertaken towards building political power through voting,” according to Chen. “Additionally, anti-Asian violence and its pandemic grew increasingly severe over the course of 2017. People remain disenfranchised from elected representatives as too few are paying enough heed to them – something which I think has contributed significantly to its spread and growth.” Karthick Ramakrishnan, co-founder of research nonprofit AAPI Data, stated that their growth was also attributable to naturalized citizens – who make up most of Asian American eligible voters. In fiscal 2022, more than one million lawful immigrants became U.S. citizens – nearly matching record highs set back in 1996 and 2008. Longer-term migrants are particularly likely to take this next step and register their votes, according to LaPorche. “But as they reside longer in a country, their interest and engagement tends to increase more,” according to Hettler. In turn, naturalized citizens become more likely to register and vote. Ramakrishnan also noted that some states are making registration to vote easier and more convenient for naturalized citizens; something which immigrants might otherwise find more complex to manage. He noted changes to voter registration rules in certain states are making voter registration much simpler and automatic, encouraging more people to become registered voters. “Many others feel obliged to register because this election feels more controversial,” Ramakrishnan noted, noting it can be hard for individuals to hold neutral views about Donald Trump and other controversial political figures like him. According to him, Trump is unquestionably increasing people’s engagement in politics; indeed he remains one of its polarizing figures.” People seem either passionately supportive of Donald Trump, or fiercely against him.” Poontong noted she considers this election particularly pivotal and even planned her vacation around it so she can attend in person at polling places in November. Her primary issue, she stated, was reproductive rights: she wants to ensure we move forward with bodily autonomy for future generations. Ramakrishnan noted that since this data set ended prior to Kamala Harris entering the race for Vice President, Asian American voter registration could experience even further spikes. “This trend can be observed more broadly across races and ethnicities; among younger voters and female voters specifically, voter registration has seen significant increase in recent weeks,” according to Harris’ candidacy for president. He expects her candidacy will drive even higher voter interest among Asian Americans as well. For more from NBC Asian America sign up here for our weekly newsletter today!