Why a US congresswoman focused on improving Asian American voters’ turnout on election day
Grace Meng says getting out the vote is key to banishing stereotypes
Securing a third term in US Congress wasn’t Grace Meng’s only goal this election season: the Democrat wanted Asian Americans to make their voices heard and vote – whether for Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump.
Meng won just under 65 per cent of the votes cast in the race for New York’s sixth district, located in Queens, and home to nearly a dozen ethnically diverse communities, including 340,000 Chinese Americans and 65,000 Korean Americans.
If our voting population does not increase, it would only do us harm
As Tuesday neared, Meng ratcheted up her efforts to boost turnout in her constituency. Traditionally, Asian Americans have been less likely to vote than members of other ethnic groups and many had never cast a ballot, she said. Some were not aware an election was even taking place.
“We want to make sure our community is also exercising their power and their rights at the poll sites,” she said before voting began. “Voting is something so many people in our country have literally fought for.”
To help residents get a better understanding of the process, she created an oversized mock-up of the ballot with instructions and the names of candidates for the races for the White House, Senate, House of Representatives, State Senate and State Assembly, written in Chinese, Korean, Hindi, Spanish and English. “The ballot can be confusing. I want to make sure everybody knows what it looks like.
“It’s public information how many Asian American people vote when the election is done,” Meng said. “The Asian population is increasing. If our voting population does not increase, it would only do us harm.”
