Press Release

Findings Illuminate Asian American and Arab American Priorities for 2008 Elections, Ethnic Backgrounds, and Voter Problems at the Polls

On April 9 in Ann Arbor and April 10 in Detroit, Michigan, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) will release detailed findings from its multilingual exit poll of Asian American and Arab American voters in Michigan during the November 2006 midterm elections. AALDEF, a 33-year-old civil rights organization, polled more than 4,700 Asian and Arab American voters in 23 cities and in nine states on Election Day nationwide, the largest nonpartisan survey of its kind.

AALDEF Staff Attorney Glenn Magpantay will release detailed findings from the 2006 Michigan exit poll with comparative information in the following areas:

• Voter priorities for the 2008 Elections
• Party enrollment and voting history
• Opinions about immigration reform
• Ethnicity and national origin
• Vote on the Proposal 2 ballot initiative
• Citizenship tenure (duration)
• English proficiency levels
• Improper ID demands and voting barriers

EVENT: AALDEF Release of Exit Poll Results from the Michigan Asian American Vote 2006

DATE/TIME/PLACE:
Monday, April 9, 2007, 12:15 p.m. to 1:15 p.m.
University of Michigan Law School
138 Hutchins Hall
625 South State Street
Ann Arbor, MI

Tuesday, April 10, 2007, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
Wayne State University Law School
Spencer M. Partrich Auditorium
471 W. Palmer
Detroit, MI

Media RSVP: slin@aaldef.org or 212.966.5932 x213

AALDEF’s multilingual exit polls reveal vital information about Asian American voting patterns that is often overlooked in mainstream voter surveys. AALDEF has conducted exit polls of Asian American voters in every major election since 1988. Nearly 11,000 Asian American voters in eight states and 3,000 in four states were surveyed in the 2004 and 2002 exit polls, respectively. More than 30 community groups and organizations joined AALDEF to mobilize more than 600 attorneys, law students, and volunteers to conduct the exit poll and to safeguard the voting rights of Asian Americans.

Co-sponsors of the April 9 and 10 presentations include the ACA/Organization of Chinese Americans Detroit Chapter, ACCESS Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services, Asian American Center for Justice/American Citizens for Justice, Asian Pacific American Law Student Association at the University of Michigan, APIA Vote Michigan, Center for Civic Participation, Michigan Asian Pacific American Bar Association, the Michigan Election Law Project, and the Michigan Journal of Race and Law.