Bill Wong is an award winning political consultant with over 30 years of experience working for state legislators, candidates, political action committees, labor organizations, non-profit organizations, and large scale employers.

By: Bill Wong, Bill Wong LLC

An often misunderstood and overlooked voting bloc, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, includes East Asians, Southeast Asians, South Asians, Central Asians, and the indigenous peoples of islands in the Pacific Ocean and far northern coasts of the Arctic Sea.  This community has become the margin of victory in the last two cycles in some of the most hard-fought campaigns in the nation. Nowhere is the API community more diverse and numerically significant than in California.  California has the highest API population, with nearly 7 million Asian Americans.  The state second to California – New York – has only 1.8 million Asian Americans.  Both will be home to battleground races in 2024 that could decide control of the United States Congress.

In California, 2.3 million of the APIs are registered voters.  Immediately prior to election day in 2022, API voters had the highest turnout of all major ethnic groups at 24%, beating African American and Latino voters that came in at 21% and 13% respectively. Gone are the days that API voters can be ignored. There’s a passage in my book describing a presentation by John Podesta for Hillary 2016 that I walked out of because they had polling slides for every ethnic group except APIs.  I think that day was an omen to what happens to campaigns that ignore the emergent political power and impact of API voters.

Thankfully, AAPC recognizes this changing dynamic as well and has assembled a tremendous line up of Asian American voices today, including: Alex De Ocampo, Cal & D Strategies; Ron Wong, CEO of Imprenta Communications; Catherine Lew, Founder of Lew Edwards Group; Christine Mai Duc, Wall Street Journal; and, Larry Huynh, Founder of Trilogy Interactive and President of AAPC. While most of them are here to talk about general topics and not specifically about API voters, they intrinsically have unique and unparalleled insights into reaching API voters and you should consider reaching out to them.

I want to specifically single out Larry’s contribution to the craft and profession of political campaign consulting.  Larry is a nationally recognized digital strategist and his work has earned dozens of awards across multiple online disciplines and he is a frequent presenter and trainer at conferences. Larry is also a trailblazer for the API community and the first person of color and first openly LGBTQ+ person to serve as president of the AAPC. He has supported the API candidates and served on API community non-profit boards.  His advice and leadership have been essential in the growth of API political and civic power. More importantly, Larry is the envy of APIs everywhere because he graduated from Harvard and still found a way to pursue a successful and fulfilling career without having to become a doctor or a lawyer.

As an API consultant attending numerous conferences like the ones AAPC puts on, I can’t tell you how important and impactful it was for me to see Larry’s name and face on the agenda alongside some of the greatest consultants in our business. It made me proud to be an Asian American and it inspired me to stick with this profession through difficult times and to work harder at mastering the craft. 

California SB 362, known as the Delete Act, would negatively impact access to data for political campaigns. The bill would create a portal via the California Privacy Protection Agency’s website for residents to remove all personal data from all data brokers registered with the state. The bill is up for a vote in the Assembly Appropriations Committee and we ask that you reach out to members you know and ask them to NOT advance the bill.

Concerns with California SB 362:

• Impact on Political and Public Awareness Campaigns and Voter Outreach: Data brokers are crucial for political campaigns to reach constituents, drive turnout, and for fundraising. The bill’s deletion requirements would hinder campaign strategies and reduce voter engagement, especially reaching younger and diverse voters.
• Unnecessary and Confusing Duplication: CCPA already applies to data brokers, and there are no gaps in California’s privacy law. The bill would create unnecessary duplication of regulations and compliance efforts negatively impacting small businesses.

These are just a couple of many concerns with CA SB 362. We ask that you reach out to the committee members listed below and ask them to NOT advance SB 362 and hold the bill for further study and review

Take Action:
Below is a sample email you can use to reach out to State Assembly Committee on Appropriations Members.

Thank you for your commitment to our industry principles and ensuring the strength of our democratic process,

Robyn Matthews
Director, Advocacy and Industry Relations
405.249.8286

Committee on Appropriations Members:

Chris Holden (Chair), Dem – 41
Megan Dahle (Vice Chair), Rep – 1
Isaac Bryan, Dem – 55
Lisa Calderon, Dem – 56
Wendy Carrillo, Dem – 52
Diane Dixon, Rep – 72
Mike Fong, Dem – 49
Gregg Hart, Dem – 37
Josh Lowenthal, Dem – 69
Devon Mathis, Rep – 33
Diane Papan, Dem – 21
Gail Pellerin, Dem – 28
Kate A. Sanchez, Rep – 71
Esmeralda Soria, Dem – 27
Akilah Weber, M.D., Dem – 79
Lori Wilson, Dem – 11

Sample Email:

Subject: Vote NO on SB 362

Dear Assemblymember [Name]:

As a steward of data in political campaigns, I ask that you vote to NOT advance SB 362. SB 362 will negatively impact political and public awareness campaigns.

While privacy is a critical consideration, SB 362’s provisions could inadvertently hinder our ability to effectively engage with voters and carry out successful political campaigns. Specifically, I worry about its potential impact on voter education and participation, particularly among younger and diverse demographics.

Our campaigns rely on data brokers to reach constituents, encourage voter turnout, and facilitate fundraising. SB 362’s requirements to remove personal data could limit the reach of our campaign messaging, ultimately diminishing public participation and weakening the democratic process.

Additionally, these deletion previsions already exist within the current CCPA. SB 362 introduces unnecessary redundancy and complicates compliance efforts for small businesses, without addressing any gaps in privacy law.

Given these concerns, I respectfully ask that you oppose the advancement of SB 362 and consider holding the bill for further study and review.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

[Your Name]
[Your Title/Company]
[Your Contact Information]