A growing voting bloc that could make difference in this year’s elections. The Asian American Pacific Islander community has been the fastest growing in southern Nevada and is becoming a targeted group for potential votes. 

Amy Koo, political director with One APIA Nevada, was a first-generation college student whose parents immigrated from China. Because her parents didn’t speak English at all, she had to navigate the financial aid system and figure out how to budget her expenses by herself.

Amy Koo, deputy political director for One APIA Nevada and a former Reno resident, said the Silver State has its own history of racism against Asian Americans. She's seen a rise in discrimination and violence against the Asian American community in Las Vegas over the last year. 

In Nevada Filipino Americans illustrate the complexity of voter outreach efforts. They have a high interest in and engagement with health care, including in occupations like nursing and hospital work, which may have put them on the front lines during the pandemic, in addition to the possibility of having experienced anti-AAPI racism associated with the virus.

Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a candidate forum on infrastructure at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in Las Vegas on Sunday, Feb. 16.

With a live DJ and ice-cold matcha tea, organizers hyped up voters — both new and old. The event was meant to drive Asian and Pacific Islander voters in the area to the polls.

Early data shows that white voters again heavily backed Donald Trump this cycle, but it's a diverse coalition of younger voters and people of color who helped push Joe Biden over the edge in Nevada and nationwide. 

Fast forward 25 years and the nexus of entrepreneurial design and public service have contributed to a boom in the Asian population here. According to the latest census, more than 220,000 Asian Americans live in Las Vegas today, triple the numbers from two decades ago. In fact, Asian Americans are the fastest-growing racial or ethnic group in our region.

The Clark County Commission on Tuesday appointed two women to fill vacant seats in the state Assembly, making Nevada the first state in the country with a majority-female Legislature.

“We’re trying to create a movement to keep people engaged. The Asian-American/Pacific Islander vote has been often overlooked. A lot of the older folks are saying this is the first time anyone has asked them about issues like health care, education and immigration.”

Today One APIA Nevada was stationed outside the popular voting site in the Spring Valley area of Las Vegas with free COVID-19 tests, stickers that read “Hot people vote!” and other resources for voters.

The increasing number of AAPI voters in the state has required campaigns to dial up outreach that’s historically been lacking, particularly as candidates seek new sources of support during a competitive primary.

As Harris courts votes ahead of Nevada’s first-in-the-West caucus, the two minority groups likely will play a key role in her results here. The APIA community makes up about 1 in 10 voters in Nevada, according to One APIA Nevada, a nonprofit that advocates for policies empowering that minority group. Latinos, meanwhile, account for about 19 percent of eligible voters in the state.

According to the latest Census estimates, more than 220,000 Asian-Americans live here today — triple what the population was at the start of the millennium. Most Asian-Americans living in the county were born overseas, and thousands more immigrate to the Las Vegas Valley every year, many of whom are choosing to settle in the valley’s rapidly developing southwest quadrant.

"I think the initial reaction from everyone in the APIA community is just horror. The violence here that we saw yesterday, is not just one instance of violence, it's a culture of violence and it's a culture of not understanding, a whole community. I would really urge everyone you know during this time to really be compassionate to all of the different community members."