Tag Archives: Voting

Voices

OPINION | Why I’m Urging South Seattle Democrats to Vote ‘Uncommitted Delegates’

by Bailey Medilo

I entered political organizing out of survival, not passion. As a young Brown child of Filipino immigrants living in southeast Seattle and South King County, my lived experience is seeing our leadership and policies fail — forcing my family and our communities further into marginalization, poverty, and continuous struggle.

None of this is unique, but a reality shared by countless young immigrants and children of immigrants across this nation. To address these struggles, young voters and organizers have been at the forefront of progressive victories and the election of Democratic candidates throughout this nation, including President Joe Biden. This activism is driven by a belief in harm reduction and the promise of a better future for our communities — which Biden’s 2020 campaign heavily aligned itself with.

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News

Today Is Election Day; Here Are Key Races and Ballot Measures for South End Residents

by Phil Manzano

South Seattle residents will decide several key election races on the ballot that will determine who will represent them in King County and on the Seattle City Council, as well as vote on a property tax measure that will affect their pocketbooks.

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Voices

OPINION | Why We Don’t Need to Vote Our Race/Ethnicity in Local Elections

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by Sharon Maeda

There’s no such thing as a post-racial society, as was proffered when Barack Obama was elected president in 2008. And, despite a recent increase in racial hate crimes, vandalism, and harassment of BIPOC communities, some things have changed for the better. We no longer have to wring our hands and hope for the best when a person of our own racial or ethnic group is not ready for prime time, but we feel compelled to vote for them out of ethnic solidarity anyway.

We can vote for people who we know have the integrity and commitment to further justice for our communities during these fragile times. We can vote for the person who most closely shares our values, who we can trust, who is endorsed by those we respect, and who we know will listen when we bring forward important issues, policies, and crises. No longer do we have to vote for someone who “looks like us.”

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News

NEWS GLEAMS | Update on Rainier Beach Safeway Shooting Victims; Federal Way Mosque Seeks Leads in Burglary

A roundup of news and announcements we don’t want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle!

by Vee Hua 華婷婷

Continue reading NEWS GLEAMS | Update on Rainier Beach Safeway Shooting Victims; Federal Way Mosque Seeks Leads in Burglary →
News

Primary Elections in the South End Will Impact the Everyday Lives of South Seattle’s Residents

by Luna Reyna

Seattle summer is at its peak this month, and with local music and food festivals, Seafair, beach days, and major league baseball and basketball games to attend, an Aug. 1 primary election is not top of mind for most people. Unfortunately, that doesn’t bode well for the key races in the South End. 

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News

NEWS GLEAMS | Senior Deputy Mayor Monisha Harrell Leaves Mayor’s Office; Primary Elections Aug. 1

A roundup of news and announcements we don’t want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle!

curated by Vee Hua 華婷婷

Continue reading NEWS GLEAMS | Senior Deputy Mayor Monisha Harrell Leaves Mayor’s Office; Primary Elections Aug. 1 →
Voices

OPINION | The End of Advisory Votes Is a Victory for Immigrant and New Voters

by Hailey Wu

Around election season, I spend most of my time doing voter education, hosting ballot parties, and organizing candidate forums. Most of our clients at Asian Counseling and Referral Service are elderly immigrants and refugees, so the rooms are always full of people speaking Cantonese, Mandarin, Lao, and more. Everyone is excited to hear the explanation of the initiatives, talk about the candidates, and get their ballots cast.

However, our participants have always struggled to understand the “advisory votes,” those questions that ask if we want to maintain or repeal various tax laws. I would always tell our clients to skip them. Although it was unclear to most voters, advisory votes actually never had any power to change our laws. We needed to save our workshop time to discuss the votes that actually made a change in our community.

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