Chinatown Residents Seek Out Political Education

By Stephanie Rubenstein

CHINATOWN – More residents in the Chinatown neighborhood are taking an interest in local politics, said Denny Ching, the neighborhood’s coordinator.

“People are getting more educated on their own,” Ching said. “They see that there is a goodwill if they participate [in politics].”

In the 2006 elections, Boston introduced its first fully bilingual ballot. The new ballot helped bring in elderly voters, who rarely voted before because they lacked language proficiency, according to Helen Wong, a commissioner for the Board of Election Commissioners.

“[The Chinatown] precinct always has a high [voting] turn out,” Wong said. “I think many of the organizations and candidates have been doing more work, registrations and getting people involved.”

Many non-profit organizations in the area host monthly meetings to debate candidate positions. In past elections, organizations have joined together to support voting and help educate the community through such debates.

Kim Pham, a local designer who immigrated to Boston from Vietnam 21 years ago, said she has voted in a countless number of elections.

“My husband helped me out,” Pham said. “I am excited to vote and this year I’m going to be voting in the presidential election.”

Pham lives in a Vietnamese community in Boston and she encourages them to go out and vote, she added.

“For each person that gets registered to vote, it’s like having two votes,” said James Colimon, head of public relations and community outreach for the Office of New Bostonians. “Because if one person votes, they can bring someone along with them.”

In a joint effort between the Office of New Bostonians and the Election Department, the city of Boston began the Now is the Time Campaign in August, to ease the voting process for residents with limited English language skills.

“It’s a coordinated effort between different departments and different neighborhoods to make voter registration easy and accessible for everyone in the city, but especially those new to the city and non-native English speakers,” said Nick Martin, a spokesperson for Mayor Thomas M. Menino.

The campaign partnered with various organizations to host drives and provide information for those new to the political scene.

“We want to make sure that everyone is represented,” Colimon said.