On June 24th, facing a diverse and fiercely competitive Democratic primary in New York City, young Asian American voters from Chinatown braved the scorching 100-degree Fahrenheit temperature to head out early and cast their votes. They expressed dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs over the past four years and some were motivated by concerns about the potential victory of candidates they don’t support, braving the sweltering heat to actively participate in voting. They are highly concerned about public safety, affordability of living, governmental transparency, and they hope to use their votes to change the future of New York City in the next four years.
Young Chinese American architect Wang Dongping went to vote at 50 Madison Street in the morning of the same day. Running his own business in Chinatown, with parents from Hong Kong, though young, he is already considered an old resident of Chinatown. Wang said he voted because of his dissatisfaction with the current situation, hoping to bring about change in the city’s future.
“I am both optimistic and worried about the results. Many people are not satisfied with Cuomo, so they came out to vote, hoping to bring some hope,” he mentioned popular progressive candidate Zohran Mamdani, “I know Mamdani’s campaigning is very energetic, something I have never seen before, and he is very young, seemingly emerging out of nowhere. Voting for something hopeful makes me very happy. I am optimistic, although a bit afraid of the outcome.”
In terms of the City Council elections, he supports incumbent Council Member Christopher Marte in the first district for re-election, “mainly because I like his performance in Chinatown, and I’ve seen many non-profit organizations choose to support him.”
Kevin Yang, a Chinese American born in the 1990s, voted for the first time. He immigrated from Fujian, China with his parents when he was 8 years old and has lived in Chinatown for over 20 years. Sharing the perspective of the young Chinese American generation, Yang said, “People in my age group are starting to care about politics, the world, and what’s happening around the city; it’s a significant change. There weren’t many protests or expressing opinions activities during my upbringing here, but now this generation is starting to think differently.”
He bluntly stated that “the city’s situation has been very bad in the past four years”, which was his main motivation for voting in the sweltering heat, “There is too much corruption and incompetence, such as in infrastructure and fund usage. I care deeply about these issues because we all pay taxes.”
Although not revealing specific support for any candidate, he expressed, “I am looking forward to a candidate with noticeably different governance principles from the past four years.”
Young Korean American voter Mimi, who has lived in Chinatown for over a decade, focuses on issues such as social welfare, healthcare, public safety, transportation, and basic income. Faced with numerous mayoral candidates this year, she said, “Some people advocate for maintaining the status quo, but I believe at least a few are trying to make very different changes, which is exciting.”
Regarding the City Council elections, Mimi said, “I believe prisons are a major issue we face. I hope that whoever is elected will oppose building more prisons in the community. What we need is community spaces, not depriving residents of their rightful housing and resources.”