By Shulin Wang
Voting: A Brief History
Voting was not always accessible for all Americans. There are three amendments formed the basis of voting rights: the 14th Amendment, the 15th, and the 19th. The 14th Amendment states that men age 21 and over and who are residents of the United States have the right to vote. The 15th Amendment grants all men the right to vote regardless of race, color, or if they were formally slaves. And the 19th Amendment gave white women the right to vote.
Despite these Amendments, not everyone had the right to vote. Black, Indigenous, and women of color (BIPOC) could not vote. There was legislation and policies that prevented many immigrants from becoming naturalized citizens, and thus, from voting. While many BIPOC were involved in the suffragette movement to ensure women had the right to vote, white suffragettes including Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Anna Howard Shaw largely cast them aside. It was not until the McCarran-Walter Act of 1952 that granted people with Asian ancestry the right to become naturalized citizens and therefore, the right to vote.
In 1964, the 24th Amendment was passed, banning poll taxes. Poll taxes had largely been used as a legal way to keep Black people from voting. Eligible voters were required to pay a fee before they could cast a ballot. And in 1965, the Voting Rights Act (VRA) was signed into law — abolishing literacy tests and established federal oversight and authority over voter registration in areas with histories of voter discrimination—and required those jurisdictions to seek clearance from the federal government before changing voting guidelines. (The VRA was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2013.)
Electoral Organizing All Day, Every Day
Despite the battles for voting rights, many people today do not vote — whether because they don’t know the process, don’t understand how it impacts their lives, don’t have the time, or just don’t care. And that’s one reason why Ann, who is involved with several different organizations including Women’s March MN, believes in electoral organizing.
Ann shares a memory of one of the first interactions she’s had with AAOP. She remembers being really impressed by AAOP members during a march because they went around to the protestors and asked them if they were already registered to vote. She thought that was a really good way to use that opportunity to get people registered to vote. Later, Ann continued to notice AAOP in different community spaces with the same message: reminding people to vote. She was impressed and decided to volunteer with AAOP to promote people to vote.
During her door knocking and phone calling experiences with AAOP, Ann noticed that it was a great way to target Asian American population which is under-represented in Minnesota.
Many Asian Americans are often contacted around elections from partisan campaigns to ask for their vote, but aren’t often asked about other aspects of voting, like if they need translation help or how their voting experiences have gone. AAOP tries to listen to the community’s concerns through nonpartisan year-round voter engagement,
Ann says, “You know a lot of Hmong people and you know a fair number of the other Asian ethnicities are represented as well. And to be honest, when I phone bank or knock on doors, I don’t always know what ethnicity a person is, because I’m not familiar with family names as much. But like I said, I just know, when they show me the percentages of eligible voters who vote, it’s not as high as you would like it to be. If we want to get everyone you know represented in our state.”
Canvassing is also difficult as well. Obviously, not every door knocking, and phone calling could be successful. Sometimes, it will be stressful. But according to Ann, AAOP makes things easier:. “I just appreciate the organizers because they’re very enthusiastic and personable and make you feel like you’re happy to be there with them and they inject some fun into it as well, because you know sitting at a table, making phone call after phone call, is not always the easiest thing to do. So it’s nice to get some free food and have a little fun and camaraderie while you’re doing.”