Fil-Ams hope voters consider immigration, Asian hate at US midterm polls
Filipino-American voters are hoping that key issues for them — including healthcare, immigration and anti-Asian hate crime — will also be considered by the electorate in the US midterm elections.
According to the 2022 Asian American Voter Survey by the Asian & Pacific Islander American (APIA) Vote, 87% of Filipino respondents said they plan to cast their ballots.
This photo shows a sign of a ballot dropbox in Maricopa County, which makes up for 62% of the voting population in Arizona. Kaycee Valmonte was among the over 20 journalists from around the world chosen by the US Department of State's International Reporting Tour program to cover the midterm elections from Arizona and North Carolina.
Language barrier still hampers accessibility of US elections
Americans are casting their ballots today for the 2022 midterm elections and, despite reminders from both parties to go out and vote, there is a crucial factor to the democratic exercise that is easy to overlook: the language barrier for immigrants.
"Language accessibility is an absolute issue when we want to make sure that more Americans vote," Carolina Rodriguez-Greer, Arizona state director at Mi Familia Vota, told Philstar.com in Phoenix last week.
"There are a lot of American citizens, my mother included, who don't speak English but wants to make sure that she votes."
This photo shows Stephen Richer, Arizona's Maricopa County recorder. The county makes up 62% of Arizona's voting population.
This photo shows a copy of a demo ballot from Maricopa County.
This photo shows a Turning Point USA Super Saturday Event held on November 6, 2022. Republican Party candidates and their supporters doubled down on the issue of inflation, illegal immigration, and the rationale of building a wall at the southern border.
This photo shows Pinny Sheoran, president of the League of Women Voters.
Scenes at Phoenix, Arizona in November 2022. Photos by Kaycee Valmonte.
Do the US midterms matter? How results may influence foreign policy in Asia
What does a vote in Arizona have to do with life in Manila more than 12,000 kilometers away? Potentially a lot, since the results of the ongoing midterm elections could have far-reaching effects in a region where the US and China are competing for influence.
Republicans taking control of the US House of Representatives in the 2022 midterm elections could mean less engagement on international issues, analysts said, saying also that rivalry with China would likely still remain a hot-button topic for both the Republican and Democrat parties.
A win by the dominant Democratic party would see a likely continuation of US President Joe Biden's foreign policy but a Republican win in either house of US Congress could lead to a more isolationist stance, which would limit Washington's involvement outside US borders.
'Election denialism' stalks US midterm polls, puts democracies abroad at risk
Election denialism, or the refusal to accept the outcome of the 2020 polls, was a key issue in the run-up to the 2022 midterm elections in the United States and analysts said it could spread and affect democracy around the world.
Scholars and analysts have sounded alarm that this may downplay the electoral process, a key part of a democratic society, as powerful figures cast doubt on a process meant to determine the people's will.
"Democracy isn't just people voting for the winner, it's having the outcome of that vote respected by the loser," Greg Winger, professor at the University of Cincinnati’s School of International and Public Affairs, told Philstar.com in an online interview.
The Commission on Elections, sitting as the national board of canvassers, suspends its proceedings at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City on May 9, 2022. Photo by Kaycee Valmonte.
Ka Leody and his ‘Labor first policy’ that could
Labor leader Leodegario De Guzman, known as “Ka Leody,” presented himself to the people as the “true alternative” presidential candidate.
When Ka Leody, chairperson of Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino, ran for the country’s top post — he knew he would be going against “elite-dominated” political parties, social circles, and dynasties who had machineries and funding to back their election bid.
But the labor leader said winning the polls was not their main goal.
Photo from Isko Moreno's miting de avance held in Tondo, Manila on May 7, 2022. Photo by Kaycee Valmonte for Philstar.com, view the full photo set here.
At joint presser, bets make pitch for 'new No.2' vs frontrunner Marcos
Former defense secretary Norberto Gonzales on Sunday floated the idea of picking a "new Number 2", referring to Vice President Leni Robredo, who has been trailing presidential aspirant Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. in pre-election surveys.
Gonzales made the pitch at a joint press conference with Sen. Panfilo "Ping" Lacson and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso, where other presidential candidates later discrediting the accuracy of surveys, claiming that they have evidence that these are "polluted."