By The Honorable Mike Eng, CA Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board Member and State Assemblymember (Retired) and Connie Chung Joe, CEO, AJSOCAL
Through time, AJSOCAL expanded voter access and involvement in the electoral process for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs).
Over 30 years ago, we launched one of our free legal service programs to address one of the first challenges to AAPI voter participation–the naturalization process. Today, our citizenship program is still the largest within our wide legacy of non-partisan work that includes redistricting, policy advocacy, and impact litigation in voter protection cases.
As we see so many AAPI organizations doing important work in the areas of civic engagement and voting, we are focused on what our greatest value-add is as a legal service and civil rights organization.
With 90+ staff, the majority of whom are lawyers and legal advocates, we offer legal protections, whether that’s quickly correcting any voting rights violations that happen on the ground or using impact litigation to push for long-term systemic solutions. In this election cycle, these are our four key areas of work:
- First, we poll monitor across Los Angeles (LA) County and Orange County (OC) to ensure the 2024 elections are conducted fairly and with integrity. Poll monitors will be at voting centers to ensure they are physically accessible to everyone, that materials are available in the languages required, and to ensure no voter suppression tactics or irregularities are occurring. In 2022, we received reports of an unauthorized ballot box in Westminster, CA where voters – predominately Vietnamese immigrants – were dropping off their ballots. We worked with local AAPI community partners, the OC Registrar, and Asian media outlets to take down the unofficial ballot box immediately and redirect voters to a nearby authorized ballot box. In the coming weeks, we expect to train and deploy more than 100 poll monitors to around 60 sites in LA and OC. We will prioritize high-AAPI density areas, particularly in OC, such as Westminster, Garden Grove, and Irvine. 25% of OC residents are AAPI and OC has many AAPI political candidates running this year at the federal, state and local levels for different political parties. Our partners include Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance (OCAPICA), Korean Community Services, and Southland Integrated Services.
- Second, we provide Know Your Rights materials in English and eight Asian languages. These materials cover frequently asked questions like how to register to vote, how to vote by mail versus in person, how to request materials in another language, or troubleshooting issues with voting. This important information is free on our Voting Rights Tools & Resources webpage. It can be found on social media, ethnic news outlets, at community presentations, and in our community partners’ Get Out the Vote (GOTV) materials.
- Third, we operate voting rights helplines in English and eight Asian languages (Chinese (Mandarin & Cantonese), Korean, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Hindi, Thai, and Khmer) for community members to call, ask questions, and report issues or violations. Individuals can also email us at voter@ajsocal.org or text us on our warmline at 213-241-0250 in English or any of the Asian languages listed above.
- Fourth, we are monitoring this election for racism, hatred, and intimidation, particularly against Asian American voters. Unfortunately, in 2020, we saw how anti-Asian hate left many community members fearful to go out in public, including going out to vote in-person. But the racism goes beyond hate incidents or attacks at polling sites. We are seeing in races today as well as in 2022, 2020 and other past election cycles, how Asian American political candidates are being unfairly accused or discredited as being un-American or potential spies, simply because of their race or descent. This tactic, known as “red-baiting” or “China-bashing” unfairly and baselessly accuses or makes insinuations of an Asian American candidate having ties to a foreign nation, like the Chinese Community Party, to make them appear unpatriotic, untrustworthy, or unfit to hold office. It’s very much aligned with the “forever outsider” myth that made Asian Americans an easy target for anti-Asian hate during COVID-19 pandemic and could lead to more hatred during these elections.
As the fastest growing racial group and often the swing voters in key races all over the country, AAPIs play a pivotal role in the election process. But our voters are vulnerable to intimidation and attack, misinformation and information, and voter suppression. AJSOCAL will continue our non-partisan work to curb any attempts to violate voting rights and voter intimidation. We will promote accountability and transparency for the AAPI community, and we will respond swiftly to any attempts to spread election misinformation to wrongfully influence voters.
At the same time, we continue to assist those seeking to become naturalized citizens, which is often the first challenge to those that wish to vote in their first election in America.
Please join our effort to further inform our community. Share information with your friends, family and loved ones widely. And if you see something, say something. AJSOCAL is with you.
