The San Francisco Elections Commission has, for what is believed to be the first time in history, appointed someone who isn't a U.S. citizen-who isn't legally allowed to vote-to serve as an official.
"Representation matters: thousands of immigrants living in the city hold stakes in politics and there's no better way to have us be represented than to serve in leadership positions."
The appointment of a noncitizen to city boards, commissions, and advisory bodies was made possible in 2020 when voters passed a proposal by lawmakers to remove the standing requirement that candidates seeking office hold U.S. citizenship.
"I'm very impressed by her commitment to enfranchising people who rarely vote, to educating people about the voting process, and to bring in noncitizens and get them the tools they need as they become citizens," he told KQED. The former resident of Hong Kong, which now belongs to China and recently saw mass pro-democracy protests over the people's lack of true electoral representation, said she hopes to improve immigrant and non-English voter engagement in her new home city of San Francisco, which has a ranked-choice voting system.
Ms. Wong thanked the city's immigrant rights commissioner, Sarah Souza-who arrived in the United States as an illegal immigrant child and was the first such person in California appointed to the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee-for her successful campaign in 2020 to change the law and allow noncitizens to serve on local commissions and advisory boards.
"To all immigrants in SF: I hope my appointment to the Elections Commission serves as a beacon of hope, showing that change is possible and your voices matter in policymaking. If I can do it, you can too."
He told KQED, "I'm hoping there will be a day where it won't be as newsworthy that you have someone who's an immigrant and a noncitizen involved in helping make the city run better, especially in a city where such a large percentage of the community is immigrants."
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