Super Tuesday, which was very important to selecting Presidential candidates in this year’s election, took place on the 5th of February. Because it was a very heated primary season and because many Chinese had became naturalized U.S. citizens, the turnout of Chinese voters in Brooklyn was higher than in previous years. Many Chinese voters went to the voting booth early, before they went to work, to cast their ballots.
In order for the senior citizens in Brooklyn’s 8th Avenue to be able to go vote successfully, Brooklyn’s Chinese American Association specially ordered an “Election Car” to drive senior citizens to their designed voting sites. According to an Association staff person, because senior citizens in Brooklyn have always been active voters, the organization ordered a special car service to help the senior citizens to fulfill their civic responsibilities.
Yin Cheng, the contact person for the voting site in P.S. 69, located on Brooklyn’s 9th Avenue and 63rd Street, said that they opened at 5:30 a.m. Because the neighborhood is filled with Cantonese and Fujianese immigrants, the voting site provided Mandarin, Cantonese, Fujianese, and Taiwanese translators. Cheng said that the number of Chinese voters had increased from past years. More than 100 Chinese Americans showed up to vote in the early morning.
The voting site at P.S. 105, located between 10th Avenue and 59th Street, had many Chinese voters, including students. According to the staff there, more than 60 Chinese voters showed up to vote in the morning.
In addition, at P.S. 94, located between 6th Avenue and 50th Street, the Board of Elections had five Chinese translators available to help the public find the correct voting site and to use the voting machines. Chinese voters in Brooklyn had the most problems in yesterday’s election because many of them did not check the box to indicate which political party they belonged to. As a result, many of them could not vote in the primary and returned home without casting a ballot. Also, many voters could not find their names on the registration list due to a change of address. They had to vote using paper ballots.
