![]() Advocates say this highlights flaws in the system and illustrates how volunteers are essential to overcoming them. They never found out why she wasn’t properly registered. Now, she said, she will help her father vote, but no one else.īut voting rights supporters like Ashley Cheng - also in Austin - remain committed to reaching Asian voters, despite the threat of jail time.Ĭheng, the founding president of Asian Texans for Justice, recalls discovering her mother was not listed in the voter rolls when she tried to help her vote in 2018. She said she was immediately worried she could face consequences if she helped him. Yi recalls being approached during a 2022 primary election by a man who was Vietnamese American and asked for help because he hadn’t voted before and didn’t speak English. Greg Abbott signed a bill in June that raises the penalty for illegal voting to a felony, upping it from a misdemeanor charge that was part of a sweeping elections law passed two years earlier.Īlice Yi, who is Chinese American, used to help translate in Austin, Texas, but said the new law isn’t clear about whether good faith mistakes will be criminalized and worries that she could get into trouble by offering assistance. Yoon added that record turnout for the 2020 elections in Georgia influenced the Republican-dominated legislature to pass sweeping voter restrictions: “It’s not a coincidence,” she said. “It’s specifically targeting limited English proficiency voters, and that includes AAPI voters,” said Meredyth Yoon, litigation director at Asian Americans Advancing Justice in Atlanta. The new laws in mostly Republican-led states are seen by many voting groups as another form of voter suppression. Asian, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander populations grew 35% between 20, according to Census data. In a number of states, language barriers already hamper access to the ballot for a population that has been growing rapidly. In states where penalties are getting tougher, the developments have sowed fear and confusion among groups that provide translators, voter registration help and assistance with mail-in balloting - roles that voting rights advocates say are vital for Asian communities in particular. “If we just give someone our website or QR code to go register, we don’t know for sure if they’re doing it and we like to get as many people registered to vote as possible.” “If there’s not access, in terms of language, we can’t get to as many people, which particularly affects AAPI voters,” Executive Director Leah Nash said, referring to the state’s Asian American and Pacific Island population, which has grown rapidly and where more than 30% of adults have limited English proficiency. It removed the personal connection between its workers and communities and replaced it with digital tools that are likely to become a technological barrier. Before the ruling in Florida, for instance, the League of Women Voters started using online links and QR codes for outreach. In the meantime, voting rights advocates are being forced to quickly adapt to the changing environment. Several of those laws are also facing legal challenges. Florida is one of at least six states, including Georgia and Texas, where Republicans have enacted voting rules since 2021 that created or boosted criminal penalties and fines for individuals and groups that assist voters. ![]() ![]() But its passage reflects the effort by DeSantis, a Republican presidential candidate, and other GOP leaders to crack down on access to the ballot. citizens.Ī federal judge blocked the provision this week. ![]() ![]() The legislation would have imposed a $50,000 fine on third-party voter registration organizations if the staff or volunteers who handle or collect the forms have been convicted of a felony or are not U.S. Ron DeSantis in May would have forced the group to alter its strategy. WASHINGTON > For a century, the League of Women Voters in Florida formed bonds with marginalized residents by helping them register to vote - and, in recent years, those efforts have extended to the growing Asian American and Asian immigrant communities.īut a state law signed by Gov. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |