Posts by Melissa Amarawardana
A new report complicates simplistic narratives about race and the 2020 election
The report from the firm Catalist looks at what changed since 2016, but also at the parties’ coalitions overall. Andrew Prokop | May 10, 2021 In the days and weeks after presidential election results come in, commentators attempting to figure out what happened with voter demographics are often in a fog — forced to rely on unreliable…
Read MoreAsian American voters could decide the Georgia Senate runoffs
Asian American voters in the state made a difference in November’s general election — and they could do so again. Li Zhou | December 30, 2020 James Woo, a 35-year-old marketing manager based in Peachtree Corners, has seen Georgia’s Asian American community change a lot since he moved there in middle school. “Growing up here, there…
Read MoreWhy Democrats need Latino voters in Georgia’s Senate runoffs
“We’re trying to normalize that Georgia is no longer black and white.” Nicole Narea | December 29, 2020 The Georgia Senate runoff elections on January 5 will determine which party controls the Senate — and the future of President-elect Joe Biden’s agenda. Latino voters could represent an important, if overlooked, coalition in that race that could push…
Read MoreRising Latino voters could be force in Georgia Senate races
With Georgia’s Hispanic population now topping 1 million, Latino political power is beginning to grow in the state Jeff Amy, Associated Press | December 12, 2020 LILBURN, Ga. — As Georgia heads into two key runoffs that will determine control of the U.S. Senate, Democrats are hoping to count on Latino voters who helped tilt…
Read MorePreliminary data suggests Latina voter turnout surged in key battleground states
Some organizers believe Latinas may be the ones to help deliver Arizona for Biden, and Latinas in Florida and Texas broke in significant numbers for Trump. Chabeli Carrazana, Barbara Rodriguez | November 5, 2020 With early election results rolling in, it appears the upswing in Latinx voter turnout that political operatives were eyeing came to fruition…
Read MoreHigher Arab American turnout in 2020 could have helped Biden win Michigan, while Black voters and other young voters of color led the way in the battleground state
Azmi Haroun | November 4, 2020 Initial reports point to Arab American and Black voters as crucial to Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s win in the battleground state of Michigan. Early polling and initial exit polling from the Arab American Institute and the Council on American-Islamic Relations suggest that Arab American and Muslim voters voted in higher numbers this…
Read MoreWe have data on who voted early in key battleground states and whom they may be voting for
Republicans started slow but are making up ground. Bernard L. Fraga and Jonathan Robinson | November 1, 2020 By Saturday night, 91 million Americans had already voted in the 2020 elections. Several states are approaching or even exceeding the total number of voters they had in 2016. Spurred by the coronavirus pandemic, concerns about the U.S. Postal Service and recent court rulings that could limit which…
Read MoreAsian Americans could be tiebreakers in key swing states, survey and early voting results show
About a third of all AAPI voters live in the 10 most competitive states. More politically engaged than four years ago, they have an outsize influence on the election. Claire Wang | October 30, 2020 Asian American and Pacific Islanders could provide the margin of victory in the country’s 10 most contested states, which are…
Read MoreThe aftermath of the Black Lives Matter protests — where do they stand now?
A look back at the arrests made during the protests, with only a few days until election day to go. Austa Somvichian-Clausen | October 29, 2020 Story at a glance This summer was marked by historic nationwide protests against racially charged police violence. In the first two weeks of Black Lives Matter protests more than 17,000…
Read MoreHow the Trump Era Has Strained, and Strengthened, Politically Mixed Marriages
Fewer people want to date those with different political views. But couples are also talking through political issues more. By: Claire Cain Miller | October 26, 2020 There are few remaining areas of American life in which people aren’t sorting themselves by political allegiances — including romantic relationships. Politically mixed marriages are rare, and over the…
Read More