Voting Rights For Immigrants In New York City

There is a strong possibility that 2006 will become the year when immigrants earn voting rights in New York City. So where does that put the Nepali community in the city? Are we too late to the feast? Are we too small in numbers? Are we irrelevant to the momentum underway? Will we make little or no difference to the outcome even if we do not participate? If so, why bother?

I think there is a strong case to be made as to why we should participate and we should participate in gusto. The right to vote is fundamental to empowerment, but political empowerment merely begins at that point. The political infrastrucutre we will build to earn the right to vote will come in handy after that right is earned. Earning the right will be a beginning, not an end.

Less than 5% of the Nepalis in the city are organized. This campaign will give us a strong pretext to organize a much larger proportion of Nepalis. And this is of direct relevance to everyone. This is about the here and now. This is about the dignity that comes with the right to vote. You gain currency. Politicians are after you trying to please you, trying to do your work. People who can vote make more money than those who can't. It is because voters are factored into how the system works.

And it is a shame that Nepalis in the city who have done so much to help the Nepalis in Nepal earn back their right to vote themselves stand disenfranchised and don't even know it.

I think we stand to make a quality difference in the movement.

Do Events, Blog Events

You can get a basic camcorder for less than $100 at eBay. You get the video camera, audio recorder and regular camera all in one thin machine. Video, photos and audio can be hosted online for free. (Blogger, Google Video, YouTube, BlastPodcast, Devnagari)

We can try and organize one large rally of 10,000 Nepalis or we can break that down into 1000 House Parties and blog each, and have all linked to at one place. Of all organizations in the city, Hamro Nepal is best suited to take the lead on this one. It is a digital democracy organization.

Expand Existing Organizations, Revise Charters, Launch New Organizations

The simple message is: get organized. Most Nepali organizations are geared to the happenings in Nepal. That is good. But they also need to expand their horizons to include New York City.

There is so much room to launch new organizations.

The Ecosystem Concept

We all can have one shared goal, but can be many different organizations. As long as we do events, and blog events, we do not all have to be part of the same organization.

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Nepali, Desi, Asian, Blac

The beauty of do events, blog events is it allows us to reach out to Nepalis across the nation without any travel involved. We want Nepalis in other cities also to get voting rights. We want Nepalis across America to get voting rights. And New York City will take the lead.

Beyond that the high tech way will also make it seamless for us to reach out to other ethnic groups. It will allow us to expand our identity. A Nepali is also a Desi. A Nepali is also Asian. A Nepali is Blac.

blac

Power is in numbers. Power is in unity. Power is in building coalitions.

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What Happens At The House Party

You gather 10-20 people. You organize a discussion around the idea of voting rights. What are the disadvantages of not having the right to vote? What can be done to earn that right? What will be the benefits of having the right to vote? And you record all or most of the discussions. You take pictures. You upload all that online. You share that link to whoever is organizing all the links at one place. You keep it brief. 90 minutes should be enough.


On The Web

The Immigrant Voting Project the politics and practices of noncitizen voting, chronicling the rise and fall - and re-emergence - of immigrant voting in the United States. In addition to making the case for noncitizen voting ..... New York City Council Members Charles Barron and Kendall Stewart, along with several of their colleagues, re-introduced the historic Voting Rights Restoration Act, now known as Intro 245, on April 5, 2006. This landmark piece of civil rights and government reform legislation would allow noncitizen residents 18 years of age or older to vote in New York City elections if they have been lawfully present for six months....... More than one million tax-paying New Yorkers have been disenfranchised in their local community because of their citizenship status. At least 15% of the residents of most New York City Council districts are non-citizens, with that percentage above 35% in the populations of several districts.
The New York Coalition to Expand Voting Rights
Documented Immigrants Demand Vote in New York City - The NewStandard
Documented Immigrants Demand Vote in New York City - The NewStandard
AALDEF: Voting Rights
Citizenship and Voting (Gotham Gazette. August 25, 2003)
Giving the Newest New Yorkers the Vote (Gotham Gazette. July, 2006)
New Voices / Voting Rights and Citizenship
Migration Information Source - Immigrant Voting Rights Receive ...
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Immigrant Solidarity Network for Immigrant Rights:: Aug 27 Speak Out! Widely practiced during the first 150 years of U.S. history, immigrant voting is now undergoing a revival across the United States as communities embrace the idea of universal enfranchisement. In more than 20 countries in Europe, immigrants already have voting rights, which they have held for decades. New York City is now home to 1,361,007 immigrants of voting age who are not yet citizens. That means one 1of 5 New Yorkers of voting age can't vote. These city residents are subject to all the laws that citizens must observe. They contribute in countless ways to the economic vitality and social and cultural life of this city that serves as the unofficial capital of the world.
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Immigrants unite to gain rights and legal standing Oakland Tribune ...
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Campaign to Give Non-Citizens the Vote - TalkLeft: The Politics of ...
Urban Legends Reference Pages: New Immigrants
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