West Virginia

Asian American and Latino voters prized in an excruciatingly tight presidential campaign • West Virginia Watch

Published

3 months ago

October 24, 2024

Asian American and Latino voters prized in an excruciatingly tight presidential campaign • West Virginia Watch

DURHAM, N.C. — As a weekend morning in late September dips into the afternoon, Annar Parikh finally gets an eligible voter to answer the door.

After Parikh gives a rundown of some of the local candidates in North Carolina’s election, she asks the woman if she plans to vote in the presidential election.

“It’s personal,” the woman says before closing the door.

The 26-year-old marks the house in a voter database for North Carolina Asian Americans Together, a nonpartisan organization that focuses on voter registration in the Asian American community.

“This is typical for our community,” Parikh, a field manager for NCAAT, says while peeling a clementine, recounting how difficult it can be sometimes to reach voters in the swing state.

There are more than 360,000 Asian Americans in North Carolina. Indian Americans are the fastest growing ethnic group in the state, with a population of nearly 110,000.

The voters Parikh is trying to reach are prized by the presidential campaigns. In an election that is virtually a dead heat, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris is working to tap into the two of the fastest-growing voting blocs in the United States — Asian Americans and Latinos, especially in the seven swing states.

Asian Americans have gotten relatively little attention in the presidential campaign and Harris herself has not greatly emphasized her South Asian background — her mother was an Indian immigrant and Harris if elected would be the first president of South Asian descent.

“My challenge is the challenge of making sure I can talk with and listen to as many voters as possible and earn their vote, and I will never assume that anyone in our country should elect a leader based on their gender or their race,” Harris said in a Monday night interview with NBC News, when asked if sexism is a factor in the race.

While Republican nominee Donald Trump has held events with Latino voters, one of his first big appeals to Asian American voters will be Thursday in a Turning Point PAC event with former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii in Nevada.

Targeting communities

Also Thursday, the Democratic National Committee launched a voting media campaign across the country to engage with Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities. The campaign will provide information about polling locations and multilingual advertisements in Florida, Texas and New York.

About 15 million Asian Americans are eligible to vote in this presidential election, a 15% increase in eligible voters from 2020, according to the Pew Research Center.

An estimated 36.2 million Latinos are eligible to vote this year, a 12% increase in eligible voters from 2020, according to the Pew Research Center.

The Harris campaign has launched targeted ads for Asian American voters in the battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin that focus on her economic proposals.

The campaign also released an ad specific to the battleground state of Nevada featuring Asian American small business owners. Nevada is a swing state with one of the largest shares of the Asian American population in the country, at 11%. President Joe Biden won the state in 2020 with a little over 33,000 votes.

The Harris campaign has also launched a WhatsApp outreach effort in the Latino community and on Tuesday unveiled an “opportunity agenda for Latino men.”

Grassroot campaigns reflecting Asian American voting blocs have also emerged on behalf of Harris, such as South Asians for Harris, Chinese Americans for Harris, Korean Americans for Harris, Latinas for Harris and Latino Men for Harris.

Getting voters to the polls

On-the-ground efforts like voter registration and voter mobilization can be a huge effort in a tight presidential race.

“The cause of the low rate of voter registration is the same cause of the low level of information around voting, so we want to make sure we’re not just registering people, we’re also talking to them about how the process of voting works, where they can vote, how they can vote early,” said Jack Golub, the North Carolina community engagement program manager for the Hispanic Federation, a group that does civic engagement in the Latino community.

Nationally, the voting registration gap for Latinos — the difference between those eligible to vote who have registered and those who have not registered — is about 13.2 million, which is based on the most recent data from 2022 from UNIDOS, a Latino advocacy organization.

The Trump campaign has largely focused on trying to make inroads with Latino voters through roundtable discussions with leaders as well as a town hall hosted by Univision for undecided Latino voters. Separately, Harris also took part in a Univision town hall with undecided Latino voters.

A Monday poll showed that Harris continues to outperform Trump among Latino voters in the battlegrounds of Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

When it comes to Asian American voters and Trump, his rhetoric during his first term around the coronavirus and linking it to China could have fueled anti-Asian sentiment among Trump voters, a study shows.

But Steven Cheung, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, said in a statement to States Newsroom that the former president is an advocate for the Asian American and Pacific Islander community and has “created an environment where diversity, equal opportunity, and prosperity were afforded to everybody.”

“Anyone who says otherwise is disgustingly using the AAPI community to play political games for their own benefit,” Cheung said. “The 2024 campaign is poised to build upon the strength and successes of Asian Americans during President Trump’s first term to propel him to a … second term victory.”

It comes down to policy

With Harris at the top of the Democratic presidential ticket after Biden’s withdrawal last summer, more Asian American voters are planning to support her compared to when Biden was in the race, according to a comprehensive survey by AAPIVote and AAPI Data.

The late September survey also said 66% of Asian American voters said they plan on voting for Harris, compared to 28% of Asian American voters who said they would vote for Trump. About 6% were undecided.

Chintan Patel, the executive director of Indian American Impact, said that while he has noticed an enthusiasm for Harris leading the presidential ticket, it still comes down to policy, specifically the economy, for the South Asian community.

“Yes, the community is excited about the opportunity to elect a South Asian president, there’s no question, but we’re also looking for, what are her plans?” he said.

His organization focuses on electing Indian Americans and has backed Harris.

“One of the things that I think is really resonating with the community is her plans around the economy, creating an opportunity economy, particularly helping small businesses,” Patel said. “Small businesses have been such a vital, important part of mobility for South Asian Americans, particularly the immigrant story, the first generation story, that is how we have seen mobility.”

Harris often talks of her late mother’s roots. But that seems to have little sway in some parts of North Carolina’s South Asian community — a surprise to Eva Eapen, an 18-year-old canvasser for NCAAT.

Eapen, a sophomore at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said she expected to see more excitement in the South Asian community when Harris picked up the torch for Democrats as the presidential nominee.

“I don’t know if it’s lack of engagement. I don’t know if it’s lack of information. I don’t know if it’s lack of mobilization, but they don’t really care,” she said. “Maybe it’s more policy over nationality as Hindi?”

Several South Asian voters who States Newsroom spoke with in North Carolina made similar remarks. The fact that the Democratic presidential nominee was South Asian didn’t guarantee their vote and they instead expressed concern over the cost of living and the economy.

Ikamjit Gill, 28, said the biggest issues getting him to the polls are inflation and the economy.

“It’s not a big thing for me,” Gill said of Harris’ background.

Gill said he’s a registered Democrat and voted for Biden in 2020, but this year he’s considering voting for Trump. He said he was laid off from his tech job under the Biden administration and got his first job under the Trump administration.

“I’ve been out of a job for a while,” he said. “I just want some change.”

Vishal Ohir, 47, of Wake County, North Carolina, said he was initially leaning toward voting for Trump, but was impressed by Harris during the presidential debate in September. He liked her detailed plans around housing and the economy.

Ohir said he’s still undecided but in the end, he wants a presidential candidate who can tackle the cost of living because “everything has gone up.”

Arvind Balaraman, 53, of Wake County, North Carolina, said he’s frustrated that wages have not kept up with the cost of living. He said he’s not particularly excited there’s a South Asian candidate running for president. He just wants his grocery bill lowered.

“Everything has doubled, tripled,” he said of prices. “You had two different parties in the last two terms and the prices are still going up.”

Balaraman said he’s undecided, but still plans to vote in the presidential election.

GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.

Source link

Click to comment

West Virginia

Starting Lineups for West Virginia’s Late Night Tip vs. Arizona State

Published

7 hours ago

January 21, 2025

Press Room

Starting Lineups for West Virginia’s Late Night Tip vs. Arizona State

It’s a late Tuesday night tip in Morgantown as the West Virginia Mountaineers look to keep the good times rolling against the struggling Arizona State Sun Devils.

WVU is coming off the heels of upsetting the No. 2 team in the nation, the Iowa State Cyclones, behind another stellar performance from senior guard Javon Small, who finished the night with 27 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. With the win, the Mountaineers returned to the AP Top 25 this week, earning the 23rd spot in the latest poll.

Moments ago, both teams announced their starting lineups for tonight’s Big 12 action.

West Virginia Mountaineers

G Javon Small

G Sencire Harris

F Jonathan Powell

F Toby Okani

C Eduardo Andre

Arizona State Sun Devils

G BJ Freeman

G Alston Mason

G Adam Miller

F Basheer Jihad

F Jayden Quaintance

The Mountaineers and Sun Devils will get things tipped off at 9 p.m. EST on CBS Sports Network.

West Virginia

2026 Committed DL Harris talks West Virginia offer

Published

15 hours ago

January 21, 2025

Press Room

2026 Committed DL Harris talks West Virginia offer

Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin 2026 defensive end Brian Harris has been committed to Maryland since August but that hasn’t stopped college programs from jumping into the mix.

One of those that have recently done so is West Virginia.

Harris, 6-foot-3, 270-pounds, received a scholarship offer from the Mountaineers after a conversation with defensive line coach William Green while the 2026 product was at the gym.

“We had an engaging and inspiring conversation even though it meant extra work from my trainer later for missing time. But the conversation lasted a while and left a last impression,” he said

The Rivals.com three-star prospect appreciates every opportunity that comes his way and recognizes that nothing in life is promised so the news that the Mountaineers were jumping into the mix made him both grateful and blessed.

The Florida prospect has never been to Morgantown but did previously speak to former defensive line coach AJ Jackson which raised his eyebrows to the program even before they got back involved.

Since that point, Harris has been playing close attention to the Mountaineers and gotten to know more about what the school is like.

“I really like their jerseys but I plan to do more research to learn even more about them,” he said.

Source link

West Virginia

WV’s homeless population increased in 2024, according to estimates, following national trends • West Virginia Watch

Published

23 hours ago

January 21, 2025

Press Room

WV’s homeless population increased in 2024, according to estimates, following national trends • West Virginia Watch

The number of people experiencing homelessness on a single winter night in West Virginia increased by about 25% from 2023 to 2024, according to point-in-time estimates released recently by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Point-in-time counts offer a snapshot of homelessness. Volunteers in communities around the country count both sheltered and unsheltered homeless people on a single night. The surveys are federally mandated to take place each year during the last 10 days of January.

Advocates say the counts underestimate the true scale of the homelessness crisis by excluding some homeless people, for instance those who are staying with friends or family because of economic hardship and those in jails or hospitals. A state-commissioned report last year found that on average, between 2018 and 2023, on average 3,624 people per year in West Virginia experienced literal homelessness.

According to the HUD 2024 report, released in December, 2024 saw the highest number of homeless people in the United States ever recorded. On a single night, 771,480 people stayed in an emergency shelter, safe haven, transitional housing program or in unsheltered locations across the country, up about 18% from 653,100 in 2023.

Several factors are responsible for the increase, the report says, including a national affordable housing crisis, rising inflation, stagnating wages among middle- and lower-income households, and the persisting effects of systemic racism have stretched homelessness services systems to their limits.

In addition, public health crises, natural disasters, rising numbers of people immigrating to the U.S., and the end to homelessness prevention programs put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the end of the expanded child tax credit, made the problem worse, the report says.

In West Virginia, 1,779 people experienced homelessness on a night in January 2024, up from 1,416 the year before.

Point in time counts are coordinated by West Virginia’s four continuums of care, which are regional or local planning bodies that coordinate housing and services funding for homeless people.

Paige Looney, a data management specialist for the West Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness, said for the 44 counties served by the Balance of State Continuum of Care, multiple factors have contributed to an increase in recent years, including the ending of funding meant to mitigate damage from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In these more recent years, as those COVID relief funds have kind of dried up, any eviction prevention funds are more limited now, that’s also been a contributing factor,” Looney said. She added that the continuum of care has gotten more volunteers in recent years, which likely has led to better counts of people in rural areas.

Lack of affordable housing has also been a big contributing factor, she said. The Balance of State Continuum of Care covers mostly rural areas of the state.

“We have very limited rental markets in some of those more rural areas,” Looney said. “And in the markets that we do have, [there’s] not a ton of affordable places for people to go. Obviously, times are tough, and if you miss a paycheck and you can’t meet rent, you end up in a very vulnerable position very quickly.”

Marissa Rhine is the director of the Resilience Collaborative, part of the United Way of Harrison and Doddridge Counties and the head agency in charge of leading the Point in Time Count in Harrison County.

Rhine said the North Central West Virginia county has seen a steady decrease in its point in time count numbers since the area’s only emergency shelter closed in 2020. The county has a winter shelter that operates with the support of nonprofit organizations, but no emergency shelter, she added.

In 2020, there were 112 homeless people in the county. That number dropped to 41 last year, according to point in time estimates.

“It’s not, in my opinion, it’s not necessarily that fewer people are experiencing homelessness who are in Harrison County initially when they become homeless,” she said. “It’s that a number of them, many of them, have to leave the county in order to access shelter services.”

Last year, the city of Clarksburg, the Harrison county seat, passed a law outlawing camping in public.

It was one of a handful of West Virginia cities and dozens nationwide that passed the bans after a U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding a similar ban in Grants Pass, Oregon. Morgantown and Bluefield have also passed the bans.

Proponents of bans argue the camps have become a public health and safety issue.

Advocates say camping bans not only do nothing to help homelessness, they make it worse by imposing fines, potential jail sentences and criminal records on homeless people and making it more difficult for them to get into permanent housing.

Rhine said Harrison County, particularly downtown Clarksburg, sees more homeless people during the summer months. Camping bans are not solutions to homelessness, she said, housing is.

“I think that there’s a lot of misconceptions within local governments about how to go about addressing homelessness,” she said. “There’s been since the closure of our emergency shelter, local officials who have taken some pretty staunch positions against emergency shelter operating and emergency shelter operating within the county. And I tend to think that’s really sort of a problematic policy position to take.

“We have a large number of people who are becoming homeless and experiencing homelessness here in Harrison County,” she said. “We don’t have an appropriate emergency service response for addressing homelessness.”

President Donald Trump has said he’d work with states to ban urban camping wherever possible, saying that the country’s “once great cities have become unlivable unsanitary nightmares, surrendered to the homeless, the drug addicted and the violent and dangerously deranged.”

Trump’s proposal includes relocating homeless people to large swaths of land with access to doctors, social workers, psychiatrists and drug rehab specialists.

Traci Strickland, director of the Kanawha Valley Collective, the continuum of care that serves Kanawha, Boone, Putnam and Clay counties, said the 2024 point in time count for those four counties was 335, up by 42 people over last year, and the highest it’s been since 2016. There’s not just one reason for this year’s increase, Strickland said.

“We’re seeing increases in first-time homelessness, which I think is around a lot of the safety nets that we had through COVID expired in 2022 and 2023,” she said. “So, as those protections went away, as eviction bans went away, as a lot of the supplemental funding went away, you ended up with people falling into homelessness for the first time.”

Strickland said as people lose their homes or move into apartments and start to rely on public housing for the first time, it results in fewer housing units being available to people with lower incomes.

“We definitely have issues finding units for individuals,” she said. “So we have people that we can get housing vouchers for, but we can’t find a unit for them to lease up in, and that might be because the landlord doesn’t take housing choice vouchers, because the units won’t pass inspection. So it’s really kind of all of these different splatter points of things that are happening.”

Charleston, where the KVC operates a men’s emergency shelter, has a shortage of affordable housing, Strickland said. Apartments planned for the East End and the West Side of the city will help, she said.

“A lot of the housing stock we have in Charleston is getting old, which then makes it harder to pass inspection [for HUD approval],” she said. “We have a greater need for handicap accessible units, and a lot of the independent properties, the smaller apartment properties aren’t accessible.”

The cost of rental housing has also increased along with inflation, she said. Substance use and mental health may or may not cause a person to become homeless but make it much more difficult for a person to get out of homelessness.

“One of the things we’re going to be seeing going forward, I think we’re going to see an increase in people experiencing homelessness that are elderly,” she said. “We have served multiple people this past year in their 70s and 80s. We’re seeing people with chronic health conditions, whether they’re elderly or younger.

“Our number of individuals that have had limbs amputated seems to be increasing every month,” she said. “Health issues driving homelessness is is an issue.”

YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.

Source link