Listen to this note:
The electoral process in the United States has begun, and the participation of the ethnic vote in the United States is essential, however, many think that their community is not represented and that their vote makes no difference, so leaders and organizations seek that the community Be informed and involved to help generate change.
Getting ethnic communities and people of color to participate in primary and general elections can be a difficult task, as voters of color, including Latinos, African Americans, and Asian Americans, are less consistent voters than whites in electoral issues because they do not feel belonging to the process.
This was stated by experts during an informative session held by Ethnic Media Services, where Ernie Serrano, integrated voter participation organizer at Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education (SCOPE) in South Los Angeles commented that equitable justice on the social, economic and environmental fronts is what gets these involved communities.
In that sense, he highlighted that work must be done on behalf of the community, making politics achieve social change and this has to be through the people who are most affected.
?That is our theory of the social, we are the ones who are directly affected by the conditions and we should be on the front lines of the battle, so to speak, and we should also have a place at the table with your elected leaders. They are governing our communities because they have many leaders who were being elected, but obviously they are not involved, so they really have no interest in knowing the conditions, nor in listening to our voice.?, he warned.
Serrano assured that hard work must be done to create the necessary conditions, because the colo communities are not served and are not informed about policies or the electoral process.
?TWe have to go the extra mile to tell them why voting is important, there are many factors that come into play when it comes to why people are not only disengaged from the voting process, but also disillusioned.?, Serrano added.
Debbie Chen, a Houston community activist and executive vice president of OCA Asian Pacific American Advocates, commented on the importance of the Asian American vote.
?In terms of civic engagement and the importance of voting for us, it really starts with the census. It's not just about going to vote when election time comes because the census and redistricting occur as well.?Chen pointed out.
The majority of the AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) community are actually first generation immigrants and similar to other communities, so it is important to be counted.
The importance of participating and being counted is because each person in the census generates income that is returned to the community in some way and when you vote, you can choose what to spend that money on and how it directly affects the place where you live. , he pointed out.
?Because voting is essentially about money, so you know your investment because your vote essentially gives you power and power is one of those words that we try in terms of our cultural organizing and community organizing around the importance of voting because power is not a word we should fear, which is why it is so important that your community gets involved?.
The AAPI community, the fastest growing community in percentage terms, for the Houston metropolitan area increased a rate of 74 percent, while the overall rate of citizens of voting age only increased 21 percent.
It is worrying that neither party has traditionally invested in reaching out to the AAPI community, pretending not to be important or thinking they couldn't make a difference to the election results, and that is leaving votes on the table.
?The AAPI community may be a smaller percentage, nationally in some states, in some cities we have a greater concentration in some areas like in greater Houston, there are certain pockets of concentration where AAPI can literally be that margin of difference when it comes of these closest races?, Debbie Chen assured.
This is an area of opportunity for candidates and parties to look at a group of people without considering, he noted.
Anneshia Hardy, executive director of Alabama Values, a media advocacy organization, says that young people are an area that not everyone takes into account and who must be empowered, as they often feel that their voice does not count.
?Voting is not just about choosing a candidate, it is about shaping the future of our communities, it is a powerful tool to express our values and drive change?, he pointed out Hardy.
It seeks to make voting truly relatable by connecting it to issues that matter, such as social justice, healthcare, education and more, simply by connecting with the needs of each community.
He commented that, even in the midst of trying to get people to vote, they are fighting to guarantee that everyone has adequate access to the ballot, added to this is the misinformation that is current threats.
In 2020, Alabama voters under age 45 represented 1.7 million of the voting-age population, but only 50 percent of those voters turned out to cast their ballots compared to 70 percent of voters, so 1.4 million of eligible Alabama voters did not vote.
Another point to consider is that many marginalized communities have the idea that by abstaining from voting they achieve more, they do not feel identified with any candidate or proposal and decide not to attend, this as part of a peaceful protest.
?It is essential to recognize that many of these voters are disappointed, not because they undervalue their vote, but because they are aware of the systemic injustices and political failures that persist?, he concluded Anneshia Hardy.
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