1.6 million Filipinos live in California; that's over half of all the Filipino-Americans that live in the U.S.
We account for 400,000 registered voters in the state, with voter participation rates as high at 60% in Presidential election years.
Even so, in California, Filipinos have no elected officials in statewide office, no Federal representatives, and no mayors of major cities*.
*population greater than 500K
That's why the Filipino Voter Empowerment Project was formed.
The FILIPINO voter empowerment project (FVEP) seeks to:
1) Better identify Filipino-Americans living in CA: Because many Filipino surnames are Spanish in origin, Filipino-Americans often get grouped with Latinos in voter data, causing a perennial undercount and a lack of targeting to Filipinos. FVEP is seeking a better methodology for the identification of Filipinos and Filipino-Americans in California.
2) Survey Filipino-Americans about their civic involvement and voting behavior: There is precious little research specifically regarding the Filipino American community; most surveys simply lump Filipinos into the larger AAPI category. Working with UCLA's Asian American Studies Center, FVEP is developing survey tools to answer fundamental questions about the community: what are the most pressing issues to Filipino Americans, whether immigrant or first-generation? Where do Filipino Americans consume their media and get information? Who and what are the most trusted names in the community?
3) Get the Filipino-American community active: Using the information we have gathered, FVEP will work to boost Filipino-American participation in the electoral process and the 2020 Census, ensuring that our community will be a decision maker in California.
