Stephanie Chang
As I look back to November 2006, of course there is disappointment in the outcome of the vote on Proposal 2. 58% of Michigan's voters last fall voted to eliminate important affirmative action programs in the State of Michigan by voting "yes" on 2. This may have dramatic impact on the future of many Michiganders, including myself and my future family.
However, I must say that I am extremely proud of the fact that Asian Pacific Americans came together and stood against rolling back progress, and stood up for equal opportunity and diversity. Last week, Glenn Magpantay, voting rights staff attorney at the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, presented a report on the multilingual Michigan exit poll in the 2006 elections.
78% of all surveyed Asian Pacific American voters voted NO on Proposal 2. This is a huge testament to the never before seen APA community education effort on the truth about affirmative action and consequences of Proposal 2. This effort included multilingual phonebanks; outreach to houses of worship; forums/townhalls in Southeast Michigan, Ann Arbor, and West Michigan; mailings to voters; leafletting at large community events; and more. Real education efforts translate to real results.
What else can we learn from the report? This is a terrific opportunity to remind our elected officials what issues Asian Pacific Americans care about in Michigan. It is an opportunity to show that we can come out in numbers to vote overwhelmingly in one direction on important ballot initiatives. Also, it is time to address barriers to voting and increase language assistance!
As Asian Pacific American Heritage Month approaches, remember that we have contributed much to American society. By continuing to work together to educate community members about important issues, we can increase our participation in the political process and make real change happen.
Below is information from the AALDEF report (see http://www.aaldef.org/article.php?article_id=261), which speaks for itself.
"The Asian American and Arab American Vote in Michigan
On Election Day, November 7, 2006, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), with the help of several co-sponsoring organizations and more than 600 attorneys, law students, and volunteers, conducted a nonpartisan, multilingual exit poll of over 4,700 Asian American voters. The questionnaire was available in English and nine Asian languages. Voters were surveyed in 23 cities across nine states—New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Illinois, Washington—as well as Washington, D.C.
AALDEF surveyed a total of 368 Michigan Asian American and Arab American voters. Respondents were surveyed in Ann Arbor, Dearborn, and Hamtramck. Highlights of the findings include:
• Profile of respondents.
The four largest ethnic groups surveyed in Michigan were Arab (24%), South Asian (24%), Chinese (14%), and Korean (5%). Fifty-five percent (55%) were foreign born citizens. Fourteen percent (14%) had either no formal U.S. education or less than a high school education. Thirty-nine percent (39%) of respondents listed Arabic as their native language. Approximately one quarter (24%) of respondents were first-time voters.
• Respondents across all ethnic groups voted against Prop 2—the ban on state affirmative action programs.
Despite the myth that affirmative action policies put Asian Americans at a disadvantage relative to other racial minority groups, Asian American and Arab American voters voted to continue those policies. Seventy-seven percent (77%) of Asian Americans opposed Proposal 2 by voting “No,” while only 23% voted “Yes.” Eighty-five percent (85%) of Chinese voters and 84% of South Asian voters voted No on Prop 2. Three in four (75%) Arab American voters also voted against the ban. A 2006 report by AALDEF on Proposal 2 and Asian Americans is available online at http://www.aaldef.org/article.php?article_id=194.
• “Economy/Jobs” was the most important issue Asian and Arab Americans identified for 2008 Presidential candidates to address.
The three most important issues for 2008 presidential candidates to address were: Economy/Jobs (33%), Education (19%), and the War in Iraq (17%).
• Most Asian and Arab Americans are enrolled in the Democratic Party.
Two-thirds (66%) of Michigan Asian Americans and Arab Americans were registered Democrats, 25% were not enrolled in any political party, and 8% were registered Republicans. Nearly three out of four Arab American respondents (74%) were enrolled in the Democratic Party, 10% were registered Republicans, and 16% were not enrolled in any party.
• Asian and Arab Americans supported legalization of undocumented immigrants and reducing immigration backlogs, while they opposed making being undocumented a crime.
Of those who gave an opinion, 79% of respondents said they favored creating a way for undocumented immigrants to legalize their status. Over two-thirds (68%) of respondents also said they opposed making being undocumented a crime. Additionally, almost nine out of ten (89%) of respondents said they favored reducing the amount of time the government takes to process paperwork for immigrants waiting to enter the country.
• The majority of Asian and Arab Americans have been affected by anti-immigrant sentiment.
About half (51%) of respondents said they had been affected by anti-immigrant sentiment in at least one of the following locations: at work, at school, or in a public location. Of those, close to half (45%) said they had been affected by anti-immigrant sentiment in public locations.
• Language assistance and translated ballots are needed to preserve access to the vote.
Approximately one in five (23%) Asian and Arab American voters expressed that they were limited English proficient. The majority of Bangladeshi American voters (52%) and over a third of Arab American voters (34%) were limited English proficient. One quarter (24%) of respondents identified English as their native language. Nearly half (45%) of respondents used interpreters to vote, and 35% used translated written materials.
• More than half of Asian American and Arab American voters encountered unlawful ID requirements.
The Help America Vote Act of 2002 requires that only certain first-time voters provide identification to vote. Yet 57% of those asked to show identification in order to vote were not required to do so under this federal law. At the Salinas Elementary School poll site in Dearborn, a “No Admittance Without ID” sign was posted outside the poll site. This contradicted the posted Michigan Voters’ Bill of Rights sign, which stated that voters have the right to vote in most instances without presenting any form of photo identification. "
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