In their words: The First Vote
"I waited 21 years for this moment. I can wait 21 hours in line to cast my vote. I don’t care what happens. Nobody’s going to stop me from voting."
Photo courtesy of Flickr
The demographics of the U.S. are changing. This year, more people of color are voting than ever before, with Republicans and Democrats attempting to court each racial group with ads, events, and social media campaigns.
Voting itself, though, can come with feelings of complication. It wasn’t granted to people of color for a long, long time, and it’s at times a slap in the face — the disturbing realization that the people you vote for might not always have your best interests in mind, or the stunned horror when your vote isn’t enough to secure the candidate you wanted. It’s easy to feel hopeless, helpless, as if your vote truly doesn’t matter. And to top it all off, voter suppression is always lurking around the corner.
But one in 10 naturalized citizens make up the population of eligible voters in 2020, and for them, voting is a different game. Many of them didn’t have the right to vote in their countries of origin. Some have lived in the U.S. for a long time without being able to vote, and they’re ready to finally exercise their right. Whatever their reason, they’re energized.
This week’s newsletter is an oral narrative drawn from 15 immigrants who are voting for the first time. Their personal accounts are compiled from CNN, Associated Press, Shondaland, The New Arab, and Al Jazeera. This is their story — in their words.
Our cast of voters:
Christian*, 25 / country of origin: Rwanda
Khalid Al Jashame, 43 / country of origin: Iraq
Bilal Alobaidi / social worker / country of origin: Iraq
Khadija Barati, 43 / banker / country of origin: Afghanistan
Rawan Beiruti / country of origin: Syria
Antoine Craigwell, 55
Carlos Garcia, 40 / rigger / country of origin: Mexico
Paola Jesse, 42 / paralegal / country of origin: Guatemala
Lian Kual / Walmart worker / country of origin: Myanmar
Melanie Lau, 39
Nicole Morote, 20 / Swing Left organizer and Arizona State University student
Tabish Nazar
Justine Okello, 35 / program manager / country of origin: Uganda
Jeum Ran Son, 84 / retired housewife / country of origin: South Korea
Badri Valian, 41 / artist / country of origin: Iran
What it’s like to vote for the first time
Okello: Being a new voter in this country, it is definitely a very emotional feeling. Being able to cast your vote is something that a lot of people around this world are not able to do. The people I serve are refugees, people fleeing countries because their nation is not leading, their nation is not taking care of them. And their voices are not really mattering. Even if they go out and vote, nothing really matters … So being in a country where democracy is the pinnacle of serving the people, I really feel proud to be a Ugandan American, a citizen of this country, whose voice does matter.
Alobaidi: In Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, only the leader’s name appeared on ballots — that and the multiple-choice answer of “yes” or “no.” “And if you said ‘no,’ something bad could happen to you,” Alobaidi told the Associated Press.
Barati: This is my first time voting in my whole life. I didn’t vote in Afghanistan, because I felt, this is pointless, it’s not going to count; they’re going to do what they’re going to do. But here I believe when you vote, you are going to make some changes, because I believe in justice.
Lau: I recently received my citizenship. I’ve lived in the U.S. for 12 years and it’s the first time I can take part in electing a president.
Kual: I feel so free to be part of the United States of America … I already registered [to vote] at the DMV, and now I’m waiting for my ballot. It’s a really big deal.
Son: The first impression I have about the election in the United States is it’s very difficult, not just because of the language, but having to register, having to find my own polling location. It just seems like the elections in the United States are very difficult to do. I am getting help and I am getting a Korean interpreter at the polls. I will be going to vote in person. Because this is my first time voting for president, I wanted to have that experience.
Turnout in 2012 was 9 percent lower for Asian American voters who aren’t comfortable speaking or reading English compared to the rest of the Asian American electorate, according to advocacy group Asian Americans Advancing Justice.
Almost two-thirds of eligible Asian American Pacific Islander voters were immigrants as of 2018.
Craigwell: I value [voting] as a fundamental right and plan to exercise it; looking at the suffering Black and peoples of color endured, just to vote, it shouldn’t and cannot be taken for granted.
The fight for Black rights and lives continues today. Photo courtesy of Spencer Platt via Getty.
Beiruti: Sitting there and not able to do anything [during the 2016 election], made me appreciate that right even more. It makes me upset with people who have always had the right to vote and don’t, because not everyone has that privilege.
Garcia: I’ve been silent for 21 years, without any official representation. I couldn’t really come out of the shadows. And at this point, I’m ready to scream from the top of my lungs. I’m going to vote in person. I want to experience for the very first time that feeling, that emotion that I’m casting my vote. And I’m voting against my oppression. I waited 21 years for this moment. I can wait 21 hours in line to cast my vote. I don’t care what happens. Nobody’s going to stop me from voting.
Why they’re voting
Garcia: Most of the people that I know, they can’t vote. And that’s why I feel like it’s crucial for me to cast my vote. I feel like it’s not just my vote, but I’m casting the vote for many of us, possibly hundreds, that they have no voice because they just can’t. And I understand the need to get out there and express ourselves and our frustration with the way the system works … I was here for the last presidential election, and that was a very tough situation to witness. I couldn’t vote; I wasn’t a citizen. Now I can actually go out and participate in that civic duty. It feels really good. And I’m excited for it.
Voter turnout rates for immigrant voters have historically trailed U.S.-born voters. In 2016, 54 percent of immigrant eligible voters cast ballots, while 62 percent of U.S.-born eligible voters did the same.
But: Within Latino and Asian populations, turnout rate for immigrant voters was higher than U.S.-born voters.
Jesse: For me the issues are discrimination, equal opportunities and health insurance. I see this segregation that is going on. It includes white people and African Americans. But sometimes I feel like Latinos are forgotten, like we’re in the middle, and it feels like no one cares. Latinos need to speak and say what we think and make our voice count. We work hard and we pay taxes and we need to have the same opportunities that the rest of the people have that were born here. As long as we are working hard, I believe that we deserve them, and that’s why it’s important for me to vote.
Valian: I'm coming from a country where sexual abuse from men is very common. They treat women like second-class citizens. So when I immigrated in my thirties, I was seeking a country that treats me equally with men. I remember the first week well — I was on another planet … We went to Safeway. I was bending down just looking at something and then I noticed that a gentleman was passing me from behind. I was very traumatized because, in my country, if a woman bends over any place in the public, something bad is gonna happen. Men, they have a right to penetrate you. I just stood up and remembered I’m not in Iran. I’m in the United States. I want to feel safe when I bend over everywhere.
The Women, Peace, and Security Index, which measures “women’s autonomy and empowerment at home, in the community, and in society,” ranked Iran at 118 and the U.S. at 19 in its 2019/2020 report. Higher figures indicate a less safe environment for women.
Norway came in first.
What’s driving their vote
Barati: I’m not going to make any decision by rushing, because as a new citizen, I don’t want to just go by what my neighbors say or what my coworkers say or what the TV says or what other people tell me. I will be careful and listen to [the candidates]. And I’m not going to only think about myself. I am a refugee. I’m not going to focus only on one thing. Being selfish, it’s not smart. We need to think about all citizens of the United States, what is going to benefit everybody.
Al Jashame: “I am a refugee myself, so I understand what moves people to come to this country,” he told Al Jazeera. “When I think about a family, like the one from that boy who washed ashore on the beach [Alan Kurdi], I realize that his parents don’t just take the risk of crossing a sea lightly. They are running away from something; otherwise, you would stay. I would have wanted to stay in Iraq myself if I could. I really miss it.” Politicians don’t always acknowledge the pain and suffering in refugees’ narratives of migration, he added. His vote will be an investment in politicians who treat refugees with respect.
President Donald Trump has made it increasingly hard for immigrants — even refugees — to enter and settle in the U.S. If he is re-elected, his second term will continue the trend by limiting asylum grants.
Nazar: It’s a very easy thing. I looked at the policies of both parties. Education, healthcare. Do they believe in science?
Son: There’s a lot of people suffering, especially with COVID-19 happening. I live in senior apartments. I see the effects on my neighbors, my friends and their children. I continue to hear and see their family members suffering. I also see many church members who are losing jobs. They’re having really hard times making ends meet, or even getting basic food and supplies.
The U.S. has reached more than nine million confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic. The number of deaths is nearing 230,000.
People of color have been hit the hardest — both in terms of mortality rates and financial security.
Morote: What’s very near and dear to my heart is immigration policy, and making sure that that we’re treating people with humanity, and respect, and dignity when they want to come into this country. In part, it’s due to my personal story and the fact that I came into the Green Card Lottery. President Trump has actually been proposing a rollback. And so, this election is a hugely important one. Obviously, I’m voting for many reasons, but I think a primary example is the principle of treating people with humanity and respect, which is something that to me is a really high importance when we want to be a country that strives to be at its best.
Who’s got their vote
Former Vice President Joe Biden and Trump face off at the final presidential debate. Photo courtesy of Jim Bourg via Getty.
Barati: I like certain things on both sides — what Trump says and what Biden says. Trump, right now, he’s pushing people in my country — the government and the Taliban — to sit together and talk, which has never happened before. I kind of like it. It’s not just thinking about destroying. It’s not just thinking, fight, fight, fight. And Biden said if he becomes president, he’s going to be more open to letting refugees come here. This is good. I like the way he wants to do that. Today, America is a powerful country in the world because of the diversity of its people, because of all the good people who come to America.
Trump signed an agreement with the Taliban in February and pledged to pull out all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by Christmas. Under the Doha agreement, a landmark deal, the Taliban promised to negotiate a permanent ceasefire with the Afghan government in exchange for withdrawal of U.S. troops after two decades of war.
Not everyone is happy though. Afghan women fear for their safety without the security of U.S. forces.
Son: Personally, I did want to vote for Trump. But I’m still learning more about it. Hopefully I'll be able to decide when I get to the polls. I haven’t figured everything out. Thinking about the future, not just for myself but for my kids and future generations, I want them to get more help. There were a lot of benefits that happened to me personally when Trump became president, so that’s why I’m leaning towards him. But I just want somebody who can make the lives of everyone better.
Jesse: It’s not that Biden is my ideal candidate, but I cannot give my vote to Trump. He goes against all my values and beliefs. Every day I feel like it’s worse, the things he says, the way he talks about people and humiliates them and insults them. It doesn’t matter if you don’t agree with them — you don’t need to insult people. You always have to respect them.
Nazar: Under Trump, basic social norms have deteriorated, enabling racism and bigotry. “People are bold enough to be racist. They don’t care if they’re being videotaped,” he told Al Jazeera.
Valian: I have my American passport. But still sometimes I have a nightmare, and I fear that one day he will find an excuse, and he will come and take my passport and citizenship and kick me out of this country.
The president ran his 2016 campaign on appeals to racism, xenophobia, and sexism, calling Mexicans rapists and using derogatory language to refer to women. Once he was sworn in, his racism became even more pronounced. He has repeatedly refused to condemn white supremacy, used us-versus-them rhetoric to justify his controversial family separation policy, targeted Muslims in the travel ban, sided with police against Black Lives Matter, and fueled anti-Asian hate by calling COVID-19 the “China plague” and “kung flu.”
“While some observers have explained Trump’s success as a result of economic anxiety, the data demonstrate that anti-immigrant sentiment, racism, and sexism are much more strongly related to support for Trump,” Brookings Institute reports.
Biden, on the other hand, is a target of criticism for his support of a 1994 violent crime bill that exacerbated mass incarceration and disproportionately impacted Black Americans. Throughout the election cycle, he has also caught flack for questionable slip-ups. He once called Latinos diverse — “unlike the African American community.” Another time, at a town hall hosted by the Asian & Latino Coalition, he said poor kids are “just as bright and just as talented as white kids.”
What it means to vote
Garcia: When I vote, I will be very proud, wearing an American flag mask my neighbor gave me as a present when I became a U.S. citizen. They’re hardcore Trump supporters. I will be wearing the same mask they gave me to vote against Trump.
Okello: I’m feeling a sense of hope, hoping that the country can heal from a lot of the pain that it’s been going through. Because when people go out and cast their vote, they’re actually unburdening a lot of that pain and putting it into the vote. And saying, “Okay, this is my voice, and this is how I’m going to play my part, to make the change that I want.” I see that as a way of healing.
Christian*: Even though I am not born here, I now feel one with America. I belong here; this is my country. Even though I still feel culturally connected to Rwanda too, I am an American. It is possible to be both at the same time. Celebrating your own culture while becoming part of America is exactly what the U.S. is based on. That’s how the Founding Fathers wanted it to be.
Jesse: I’m really grateful to this country and I feel safe here … but also I know it can improve. And sometimes it’s disappointing to see all these fights and at the end, nothing happens. With this election, I’m hopeful, but at the same time, I’m scared.
Mural commissioned by The Avenue Concept. Art by Angela Gonzalez, Kendel Joseph, Jessica Brown, and ABOVE. Photo courtesy of THE STREET IΣ OUR GALLERY.
Beiruti: I want people who take that right [to vote] for granted to think about that privilege they have. It’s as much of a responsibility as it is a right. People really need to think about that. I have the privilege to become a citizen and be a first-time voter … There are people who live here who will never be citizens, who have to stand by at every election.
Morote: I think it would be hard to do this work if I didn’t believe that we could do so much better. But my mind is optimistic and pessimistic at the same time. It’s acknowledging that we’re not in a great place in many regards right now. The pandemic has negatively affected people’s lives, we have thousands of deaths, and we have millions of unemployed people. It’s absolutely important that you follow up that pessimism with hope for the future. We can do so much better, and that’s why we do this. Honestly, that’s kind of what keeps me going — thinking about how in November, I'll be sitting around thinking I wish I did so much more.
*Editor’s note: Christian preferred not to use his last name.
More on voting and the election:
How politicians target you: 3,000 data points on every voter, including your phone number, by Geoffrey A. Fowler
The massive early vote, by Ursula Perano
‘We are not bullsh---ing around’: Democrats make last push to turn out Black men, by Maya King
Gen Z rising, by POLITICO staff
Polls: Biden leads Latino voters in key battleground states, by yours truly
What else I’m reading:
AOC’S Next Four Years, by Michelle Ruiz
Are Asian Americans the last undecided voters?, by Hua Hsu
The White Extremist Group Patriot Front Is Preparing For A World After Donald Trump, by Jane Lytvynenko
How ‘Defund the Police’ went from moonshot to mainstream, by Maya King
This week’s plug for The Yappie:
Asian Americans are seeking legislative office in record numbers. Among this year’s candidates, 61% identify as East Asian, 22% as Southeast Asian, and 21% as South Asian.
Over 1,100 Asian American Pacific Islander leaders have endorsed Biden with less than a week until Election Day. The list is comprehensive, including pioneering journalist Connie Chung, playwright David Henry Hwang, “Angry Asian Man” blogger Phil Yu, and “Agents of SHIELD” star Chloe Bennett.
Just for fun:
Happy quarantined Halloween! 🎃 These kiddos take the prize.
See you next week!