Asians flex muscle in US presidential polls

"I really want my vote to count because I think this will be the most important election of my lifetime," said the Myanmar-born mother-of-one after casting her vote for the next US president.

"The issues are the economy and the war against terror -- life and death issues that affect all of us -- and I want to make sure that my daughter will be safe and economically secure in the future," said Los Angeles-area resident Fong, 42.

Fong, one of the six million eligible Asian American voters, is part of a fast-growing population group that is flexing its political muscle more than ever ahead of the November 2 election.

While in the past only 43 percent of eligible Asian American voters have used their ballot, this year's close contest between Republican President George W. Bush and Democratic hopeful John Kerry has galvanised the community, leaders said.

"People realise that this no ordinary year," said Henry Chang, a retired sociology professor who volunteers as a translator at an early polling centre in the Chinese-dominated suburb of Monterey Park, near Los Angeles.

"I am seeing more Asians coming out to vote than ever before, including many older people who are voting for the first time," said Chang, who was raised in Taiwan and came to America in the mid 1960s.

"Many are worried by the war in Iraq and the economy and now realise that they can influence events," said Chang, referring to the 12 million Asian and Pacific Islander Americans who make up about four percent of the US population.

The first comprehensive survey of Asian American voters conducted by New California Media in late August showed that 43 percent of likely Asian voters would vote for Kerry, against 36 percent for Bush.

At early voting stations in California, which boasts the United States' largest Asian population, many voters said they were worried about the growing loss of life in Iraq and by the economic impact of the war.