Happiness Tuesdays

“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'” ― Isaac Asimov

Voting gives you the power to create positive change for your community and determine a better quality of life for you and your family. Voting together with your neighbors, family, and friends ensures that your shared values and issues are prioritized, that you play a key role in choosing who represents us, and where government funding and resources will go. The more we vote, the more powerful our voices become, and the likelier the issues that are important to us will be heard.

Our community has, historically, been one of the communities with the lowest voter registration and voter turnout rates. In recent years, this has changed and we are quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with at the ballot box. So join the rest of our community and exercise your important right to vote!

Top 5 Reasons to Vote

1. Elections Impact Your Everyday Life and Family
   
   How much resources will your local schools get? Will city and county government repair the potholes on the road to your house? Will public transportation services be expanded? How much access to healthcare will you receive? How much job security and pay equity will you have? What are the policies around crime prevention and gun safety? What will immigration law look like? All these decisions are determined by the people voted into office at the local, state, and federal levels of government. Voting and encouraging others to vote means standing up for the issues you care about by electing the people who have your best interests at heart. Voting does not just help our communities in theory; it has tangible effects on whether or not our elected officials care about our needs. Voting gives a stake in your community.
    
2. Every Vote Counts
   
   More and more, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are becoming the margin of victory in elections across the country – from Georgia to New Jersey to Virginia to Arizona to Texas. In local elections especially, victory for one candidate may be determined by just a few votes more than the other. Your decision to vote could sway an election from someone who doesn’t have your best interests at heart to someone who does. Don’t sit out your next election. Vote! Find additional information here. 
    
3. Decide Where Your Tax Dollars Go
   
   Everyone pays taxes, so we should all have a say in where that money goes. By helping to elect city council members, county commissioners, governors, state legislators, all the way to members of Congress and the President, your vote chooses how your tax dollars are allocated, who runs your communities, and what projects will get local, state and federal funding.
   
   According to the most recent available data from the American Community Survey, almost 1/3rd of Asian Americans living in the United States are “Limited English Proficient,” meaning that they report speaking English “less than very well.” Your decision to vote could decide whether governments have the ability to provide critical information in-language to the people in our communities who need it the most. 
    
4. Fight Against Racism and Discrimination
   
   With the rise of anti-AANHPI hate and discriminatory policies affecting Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, now is more important than ever to have your voice and concerns heard by the people in power. Voting and encouraging others to vote is one of the most effective ways to make politicians listen to your concerns. According to the 2020 Asian American Voter Survey, at least 72% of Asian Americans believe there is discrimination against Asian people in our society today. Meanwhile, at least 76% of Asian Americans worry about experiencing hate crimes, harassment, and discrimination because of COVID-19. Vote to ensure our communities feel safe in the places they live and work. 
    
5. Protect Our Voting Rights
   
   Many states are enacting increasingly strict voting laws that suppress our right to vote early, vote-by-mail, gain language assistance, and even register to vote. Your freedom to vote is a right that is being clawed back by these new restrictions and laws. At the same time, some redistricting commissions and state legislatures are working to divide up AAPI voter blocs into separate districts so that our voices will have less of an impact on elections. The only way to stop these moves from happening is by standing up against the people acting against our interests and voting them out of office!
   
   Or, viewed another way, vote for those elected officials that stand up for the values you believe in, and there is no more basic value than the right of every eligible voter to be able to cast their ballot. Never doubt that your vote is powerful but it must be exercised to remain so. Your vote is your voice. More information here. 

Politics & Governance

Why do you think people struggle with the balance of engaging with politics and letting it rule their lives?