by Kay Curry
Northwest Asia Weekly
Shimazaki aerial photo
With the November primaries just around the corner, King County and across the country are scrambling to reach voters of all ages. In recent years, particular attention has been paid to the voting age of underrepresented communities and youth of color. However, KC Jung, the language access and outreach coordinator for the King County elections, doesn’t predict a drop in the number of voters turning up this year. Despite COVID-19, 2020 turned out to be a record year, with her turnout rising steadily since joining the office in 2016.
“Especially in underserved communities, their interest … is increasing,” Jung said. She credits that in part to the voter education fund that King County Elections partnered with the Seattle Foundation to form. Nonprofit, nonpartisan organizations can apply for funding for voter outreach to their communities.The fund is in its sixth year, with 2021-2022 grantees including counseling and referral services in Asia, refugee
The Women’s Union, and the Western Washington Indian Association, which operates on the east side of the Bellevue and Redmond areas. According to Jung, the fund is primarily used to reach voters who may have language barriers, voters of color, and members of other underserved communities.
“Of these groups, at least two or three … are associated with youth groups,” she told The Weekly. “They go door-to-door…letting voters know the election is coming,” Jung’s office followed up with the nonprofits to make sure they were spending the funds properly.
Of course, local nonprofits conduct voter outreach outside the fund. For example, the China Information and Service Center (CISC) targets young voters who are parents with children participating in pre-school and after-school activities. “We reach out to parents who may be in that age group,” explained Executive Director Michael Itti, “…about the importance of registering to vote and voting .” Etty said the CISC worked with the City of Seattle “to educate community members about the Democracy Voucher Program.” “We also encourage people to sign up for translation ballots provided by King County Elections.”
Jung explained that the King County elections take civic engagement classes at King County Public High Schools, where they do presentations and then voter registration. She admitted that during the first wave of COVID-19, the office, like everyone else, “went into panic mode” as classes were closed and outreach was shut down. But recently, things have opened up. “King County and Washington state are voting by mail,” Jung noted. “I don’t see much of a difference. You’re staying home anyway and we’re mailing ballots. You can just mail them back.” Those ballots should arrive in your mailbox by October 24th for November election.
In addition to engaging young voters where they live or work, another strategy is to engage them early on. “If you’ve been in the habit of voting since you were a kid, then…you’ll be successful,” Jung assured. “You grow up to be a regular voter… Habits you develop from a young age are very important.” To that end, King County has created the “Future Voter” program, where any young person with a license or state-issued ID can register at 16 pre-registered to vote at the age of 17. This year, if the person will succeed in the 18 election, he or she will be allowed to vote in the November primary. “If they have an ID, they can go to voter.votewa.gov to pre-register,” Jung said. “As soon as they turn 18, we automatically mail ballots if there is an election in their constituency.”
While Jung and her staff work to reach young voters locally, nationally, along with nonprofits in King County, organizations like Rock the Vote are working to do the same. “In an era of disinformation and voter suppression efforts, we want to make voting more accessible and empower young voters with the information they need to become voters,” said Rock the Vote spokesman Charlie Bonner. “Knowledge is powerful, it lets you know how to register to vote and how to research what’s on the ballot. We provide tools to educate young and/or first-time voters and give them confidence to vote.” Along with Jung, Rock the Vote admits Young voters are more comfortable on the internet than on paper, so in 2001 they launched the “first-ever online voter registration tool” and since then have partnered with “over 1,100 technology partners” to engage citizens easier to obtain. “
Rock the Vote is also attracting young people’s interest in online platforms to attract more potential voters. “We recently partnered with GameOn to provide 24/7 answers to questions about voting in the 2022 midterm elections through a bot on the Rock the Vote website,” Bonner said.
“We know young people have a lot of political power. That’s why young people, especially young people of color, face some of the biggest vote-suppression efforts by those who are already in power.” Bonner cited young people of color Some barriers to racial voters and “patterns of disenfranchisement” such as “voting locations far away from college campuses, or far away from black and brown communities,” but Rock the Vote still wants “young people to recognize the importance of voting in this midterm election.” .”
Young voters of color are more influential than they think. “Diversity representation in government makes a big difference,” Etty said. “Young people bring new perspectives and ideas to tough challenges.
When they vote, they change the agenda and the conversation. They strengthen the community by inspiring the whole family to vote. “In many cases, parents may be hesitant to vote because of language barriers, they don’t understand the voting process, or they remember that in their country, their vote doesn’t matter.
“It’s different in America,” Jung insisted. When she first came to the U.S. from South Korea, she recalled, she was also baffled by the process. At the time, she couldn’t “explain or educate my kids” about voting. Voting outreach relies heavily on young people to get the word out. “If King County elections educate younger voters, they can go to their parents and educate them,” Jung said. “Your vote matters. Your voice matters… No matter who you are, one voter has one vote.”
Kay can reach info@nwasianweekly.com.
