The one minority group that both political parties are having trouble courting

In the 1990s, Asian-Americans were reliably Republican voters. Today, nearly half identify as independents, and in 2012, about three in four Asian-Americans voted Democrat. But the 2014 midterms saw a swing back to center — a switch which, when combined with Asian-Americans' status as the fastest-growing racial group in America, makes them a priority for the 2016 campaigns.

Except outreach isn't going so well. Asian-Americans are politically, ethnically, and linguistically diverse, which means the broader message targeting that might be effective with other minority groups is often ineffective here. While bilingual Hispanic voters typically speak English and Spanish, for instance, bilingual Asian voters might speak English and any one of dozens of Asian languages.

Nevertheless, both major parties are developing new efforts to woo this bloc of comparatively unclaimed voters. "We're the rising new electorate," says Christine Chen, of the Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote. "Hopefully, it means they can no longer take us for granted."

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