Newly Naturalized Immigrant Voters Are Key In 2022 Elections – Study

BY NAN Staff Writer

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Nov. 4, 2022: Across the US, the swing vote in determining who wins or who loses on Nov. 8th could lie in the hands of newly naturalized immigrants, especially in politically important states like Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Florida, among others.

That’s according to the report, “NEW AMERICAN VOTERS 2022: Harnessing the Power of Naturalized Citizens,” by the SEIU, the US Immigration Policy Center and the APIAVote, the newly naturalized are a potential voting block of over 5.19 million that is multi-racial, multi-generational, and are composed of a slight majority of women.

Most of all, some 4.4 million of this bloc was naturalized after the election of Donald Trump and largely naturalized because of that administration’s multiple attacks on immigrant and refugee communities, the report, written by Tom K. Wong, Associate Professor of Political Science and founding Director of the U.S. Immigration Policy Center (USIPC) at the University of California, San Diego; Maya Lu; and Lilly Amirjavadi, found.

Over 80 percent (80.5 percent) of newly naturalized citizens who naturalized from 2016 to 2020 are originally from the Americas and Asia, which include Latin American and Asian and Pacific Islander countries. Almost 90 percent (89.9 percent) are originally from the Americas, Asia, and Africa.

The majority, or 55.5 percent of newly naturalized citizens are women while roughly one third or 31.7 percent were 18 to 34 years old when they naturalized. Over one third or 6.9 percent were 35 to 49 years old. Roughly one third or 31.4 percent were 50 years or older when they naturalized.

In the 2022 election, the study found that the number of newly naturalized citizens from 2016 to 2020 is larger than the margins of victory for the 2020 presidential election in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

GEORGIA

In the crucial state of Georgia, the number of newly naturalized citizens from 2016 to 2020 is also larger than the margin of victory for the Senate seat up for re-election in 2022 in Georgia.

In Georgia, newly naturalized citizens from 2016 to 2020 from Africa were largerthan the margin of victory during the 2020 presidential election while newly naturalized citizens from 2016 to 2020 from Latin American and Caribbean countries were larger than the margin of victory during the 2020 presidential election.

Newly naturalized citizens from 2016 to 2020 from Asian and Pacific Islands in Georgia were also larger than the margin of victory during the 2020 presidential election while newly naturalized citizens from 2016 to 2020 from African and Latin American and Caribbean countries, combined with those from Asian and Pacific Islander countries, are over seven times the margin of victory during the 2020 presidential election.

The largest national origin group of newly naturalized citizens in Georgia, from 2016 to 2020, those originally from India, nearly equal the margin of victory during the 2020 presidential election.

ARIZONA

In Arizona, another crucial state, the largest national origin group of newly naturalized citizens from 2016 to 2020, those originally from Mexico, alone were larger than the margin of victory during the 2020 presidential election.

Additionally, newly naturalized citizens from 2016 to 2020 from Latin American and Caribbean countries, combined with those from Asian and Pacific Islander countries, are over five times the margin of victory during the 2020 presidential election.

NEVADA

In Nevada, newly naturalized citizens from 2016 to 2020 from Latin American and Caribbean countries, combined with those from Asian and Pacific Islander countries, are larger than the margin of victory during the 2020 presidential election.

PENNSLYVANIA

In Pennsylvania, newly naturalized citizens from 2016 to 2020 from African and Latin American and Caribbean countries, combined with those from Asian and Pacific Islander countries, nearly equal the margin of victory during the 2020 presidential election.

FLORIDA

In Florida, newly naturalized citizens from 2016 to 2020 from Latin American and Caribbean countries, combined with those from Asian and Pacific Islander countries, were larger than the margin of victory during the 2020 presidential election.

WHAT’S NEEDED

With days to go before the critical elections, the study says newly naturalized citizens form a formidable voting bloc but voter mobilization efforts specifically targeting these voters are needed in order for all of their votes to be cast.

RISKS

Meanwhile, a new study from the Brennan Center for Justice found that new citizens and new voters face special risks in encountering misinformation stemming from information gaps. Such information gaps can specially affect new voters and newly naturalized citizens because they lack familiarity with U.S. voting procedures, the Center says as new voters face greater difficulties in recognizing misinformation resulting from information gaps around recent voting law changes.