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Asian Week
Washington Journal: Claiming
Democracy
By Phil Tajitsu Nash
November
28, 2003
Seeking to address a perceived ìdemocracy deficitî in this
country, over 500 people from 30 states, the District of Columbia,
Ireland, New Zealand and other nations took part in a Claim
Democracy conference at the new Washington Convention Center last
weekend.
Over 100 presenters covered a full range of issues to secure,
enhance and exercise the vote. The Asian American Legal Defense and
Education Fund and the National Asian Pacific American Legal
Consortium were among the almost 80 organizations endorsing this
call-to-action to support diverse representation, meaningful choices
across the political spectrum, full participation before and after
elections, robust public debate, efficient and effective election
administration, and policy that corresponds with the will of the
majority while respecting the rights and interests of those in the
minority. The conference was organized by Democracy USA (www.DemocracyUSA.org), a new initiative by
the Center for Voting and Democracy (www.fairvote.org).
Organizers and participants praised recent improvements in
American democracy, but urged even more action until
one-person-one-vote democracy is a reality for all Americans. For
example, conference organizers pointed out that among the sad
realities faced today by Asian Pacific Americans and all Americans
as we work to improve American democracy are the following:
ï The majority of Supreme Court justices in Bush v. Gore declared
that voters have no fundamental right to vote in presidential
elections.
ï Percentage-wise, among those of voting age, the United States
ranks 139th in the world in voter turnout in national elections
since 1945, and turnout has been dropping, particularly among young
people and particularly in local and state elections. Nearly a third
of adult Americans are not even registered to vote.
ï The U.S. is 59th in world rankings of representation by women.
Only 14 percent of the members of Congress are women, and the number
of female state legislators has declined since 1998.
ï The U.S. Senate lacks a single black or Latino member, and the
number of blacks and APAs in the U.S. House has declined since 1994.
People of color are under-represented in nearly every state
legislature.
ï More than 4.5 million Americans are denied the right to vote
because of felony disfranchisement laws that disproportionately
impact low-income communities of color, including one out of every
eight black men.
ï Only four U.S. House incumbents lost in 2002, the fewest ever.
State legislative elections are often even less competitive, with 40
percent of the races since 1996 not even being contested by both
major parties.
ï Although the 2000 election debacle led to federal and state
action to improve the infrastructure of our elections, many states
are making it harder to vote, not easier.
ï Despite the passage of federal campaign finance reform
legislation in 2002, money spent in campaigns and on lobbying at
federal, state and local levels continues to have an excessively
powerful impact on electoral politics and policy-making.
Among insights of interest to California readers was a report
that voter turnout during the recent recall election, contrary to
expectations, was the second lowest turnout in history. Arnold
Schwarzenegger joined 24 others who won their gubernatorial
elections with less than half of the votes. Steven Hill, author of
Fixing Elections: The Failure of America’s Winner Take All
Politics (www.FixingElections.com) said, ìOnly 40 percent of
Californiaís eligible voters and 57 percent of registered voters
cast a vote on Oct. 7. Long lines at some polls were due to the
number of polling places being drastically reduced ó from 5,400 to
1,800 in Los Angeles County, for example ó rather than a huge influx
of voters.î
The California recall election also highlighted the continuing
lack of minorities and women as statewide executives in this
country. Schwarzenegger continued a tradition of all California
governors being a white male, except for Romualdo Pachecoís brief
service as acting governor in the 1870s. With Latinos representing
over a third of present-day Californians, it was a good first step
that Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante and Peter Camejo were the
gubernatorial standard-bearers of the Democratic and Green parties,
respectively.
Given the hugely successful APA town hall meeting held just a few
blocks away on Nov. 17, I was surprised to see just a handful of
APAs at this Claim Democracy conference. Over 400 APAs, many of whom
have not been active in the ongoing centuries-long struggle to
defend and expand voting rights, were treated with respect by some
members of the Democratic Party establishment as they sought to make
their voices heard in the upcoming presidential primary. While it is
important that APAs work first to ensure full and fair participation
for their own community, I hope that they will not stop until these
same rights are enjoyed by all Americans. |
