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Washington Journal

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Asian Americans and Election 2000

By Phil Tajitsu Nash

Can Asian Americans make a difference in Election 2000? Absolutely. Everyone who follows this newspaper has seen the blossoming of Asian American political power in California, the Pacific Northwest, and other parts of this country.

Our candidates are being taken seriously by mainstream voters and party power brokers alike. Our ability to deliver dollars and votes has meant that our views are being solicited when decisions are being made that might offend us (such as closing the door to immigration or reducing work visas for Asian technical workers).

We must try to make an immediate impact in the short run, but also build for the future so that we ultimately can have a bigger impact. Between now and Nov. 7, the best way to participate is to support API candidates, support all candidates who support our issues, and support organizations that support our issues. Long-term strategies include running for office ourselves, urging others to run, creating PACs and other political organizations, and ultimately joining the growing movement to completely overhaul our electoral system and join the vast majority of the world’s democracies that have proportional representation voting schemes.

Supporting candidates can be done in several ways. Younger voters and those new to the electoral process should read the positions of local candidates, find one whose views you can support enthusiastically, and go to their campaign office and volunteer. As someone who has created Web sites and done fund raising for many candidates, and who has talked with many more, I can assure you that every candidate needs more volunteers.This is doubly true for non-incumbent candidates and those whose views are not the majority opinion in a given electoral district.

Getting involved in the electoral process in a hands-on way allows you to see first hand how democracy really works. It can be frustrating, time consuming, and labor intensive—but so are raising a family, teaching students, and almost all meaningful and important activities in life. Social change does not take place in a vacuum, and laws are not made in a sanitary chamber. To paraphrase Rev. Jesse Jackson, if you are not there helping to make the bread, you can’t complain about the lack of food coming out of the oven.

Supporting candidates can also involve giving financial contributions, but this should be done in a way that maximizes your impact. Sending in $25 gets you a thank-you letter, but convincing 30 of your friends to each send in $100 gets you a chance to meet the candidate and let your thoughts be known. Better yet, volunteering to host a house party can give you the chance to meet the candidate, introduce your friends and family to the candidate, and raise the visibility of Asian Americans in your local political arena. Before doing anything financial, however, be sure you check with applicable campaign finance laws so that, for example, you do not make an in-kind donation from your business that might not be allowed under local campaign finance laws. Some people think that they do not have time to get involved in politics. To them I say, “You do not have time to NOT get involved in politics.”

Decisions about your job, your school, your library, and your roads are being made by someone who has been given the power to spend your tax dollars on your behalf. This person is not necessarily smarter, more dedicated, more compassionate, or more visionary than you are. The only thing this person definitely has over you, the non-political person, is the decision to get involved in politics. The future of Asian American political involvement has already arrived, with groups such as 80-20, the Asian American Action Fund (AAA-Fund), the APAICS-UCLA Leadership Academy and others, creating a non-partisan Asian American presence that is more than just another Asian American Republican or Democratic club.

These organization are encouraging and nurturing Asian Americans who want to run for office, making their presence felt by mainstream politicians, and, in the process, are helping our community and our entire society envision a greater political role for Asian Americans. In the meantime, they seem to be having fun and raising important issues along the way.

Ultimately, being a swing vote and a political wild card could allow Asian Americans to play an important role in the dialogue to truly widen the democratic process beyond the control of the two major parties and the limiting winner-take-all system in place in most parts of this country. Most of the world’s democracies, as well as many corporate shareholder meetings and local U.S. elections, take place using the tools of proportional representation. If you have not heard about it, be sure to check out the Center for Voting and Democracy’s website at www.fairvote.org. And be sure to get involved in some way in the political arena as we enter the home stretch of this country’s first major campaign of this millennium.