2020 Primary Election has started!
UCA is calling for Chinese Americans to participate in the election
2020 Primary Election has drawn national attention as it sets the beginning of the historical 2020 General Election in November. The purpose of the Primaries is to elect winning candidates from each political party, Democratic and Republican, who will be then heading to the November General Election. Iowa and New Hampshire have finished the Primaries. This will be followed by Nevada and South Carolina on Feb 22 and Feb 29.
Two large states, California and Texas are among 14 other states in the Super Tuesday Primaries on March 3rd. Traditionally, who will be the winners of the US Presidential nominees of both parties will become more apparent after the Super Tuesday Election. Other state primaries follow the schedule which has been set by the two political parties and published by all major media channels.
Early voting for the Super Tuesday Primaries is starting this week in different states. Though much of the community attention has been pulled to the coronavirus outbreak recently, UCA is asking Chinese Americans across the country to watch what’s happening in the Primaries and who are on the ballots in their states, especially considering Asian Americans don’t normally come out to vote in the Primaries. However, this year, given the unfavorable political climate against immigrants and turmoils in American politics, more Asian Americans are emerging as candidates and stand up for our voices. Some of the races are also crowded with candidates, including the presidential position.
Though many people are disappointed with the leave of Andrew Yang, the democratic presidential candidate as a Chinese American, he has inspired other Asian Americans to run for public offices and more people to care about politics. It is paramount that we, as Chinese Americans, continue to be civically engaged, and support these candidates who can be future leaders for our communities.
Down-ballot candidates, who run at the local levels, such as county positions, district judiciary positions, are even more relevant to our daily life, as their policies affect tax, funding, public safety, and other important aspects of the local communities. Therefore, UCA is calling Chinese Americans to do the necessary homework in researching and choosing the candidates and the party to vote for (in Primaries, voters can only choose one party, either Democratic or Republican, but not both).
Election information is available from the county election office and from the official state websites such as the Secretary of State. Status of voter registration, polling locations and hours, sample ballot and election results are published by these websites. Another good resource to look for is established and respected newspaper and media channels, which have coverage of the election, interview of the candidates and endorsements. Large civic organizations, including the League of Women’s Voters or LWV, routinely provide voter guide (https://www.vote411.org/) that covers many different states, some even with Chinese translation in large cities.
Local UCA chapters and groups are organizing events and activities to help the Chinese American communities participate in the Primary Election and meet the candidates. Please help support these efforts and fulfill our responsibilities as conscientious citizens of the country. Its progress depends on everyone’s participation, and 2020 elections will be extremely important for Asian Americans.
