Civic organizations urge FilAms to vote today
By Marivir Montebon
New York - Today, November 7, is national local elections day.
FilAm civic organizations are encouraging Filipinos to vote and make Filipino representation a reality in NYC. According to the New York Civic Engagement Table, only 10.47% of eligible FilAm voters are registered to vote.
Civic organizations, composed mostly of young FilAms, are pushing for more civic engagement of Filipinos in New York.
This pales in comparison to Asian counterparts: Chinese at 73.21% registered, Japanese at 55.38%, Vietnamese at 51.11%, Indian at 43.63%, and Korean at 32.68%.
The National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NAFFAA) – New York and the FilAm Democratic Club of New York have expressed the need for more Filipino engagement.
Rachelle Ocampo of NAFFAA New York said during the recently concluded Filipino American History Month celebration in Queens: “When we talk about history—let’s not have Filipino Americans left out. Our mission is to promote the welfare and well-being of Filipinos and Filipino Americans throughout the United States. We believe that the path to shaping a better future starts with engaging in the democratic process for the change we want to see. We emphasize the need for active civic participation.”
Ocampo: We emphasize the need for more civic participation.
The 2015 and 2020 American Community Survey 5-year Public Use Microdata Sample noted that the Filipino population in New York is 87,040 (2020 survey) with more than half living in Queens (54.8%).
Manzano: Filipino Americans need to appreciate and maximize the democratic processes of New York for representation and equity.
The survey said that the FilAms in NYC are getting younger. “The Filipino population’s share of children under 18 grew by 2.6 percentage points since 2015 (vs. -0.5 in NYC overall), while the adult population declined (-2.8 percentage points) and senior population remained steady (+0.3).”
Lorenzo Manzano, president of the FilAm Democratic Club of New York, said during an interview with the podcast ‘Conversations with MM’, that the Filipino Americans need to appreciate and maximize the democratic processes of New York for representation and equity. #
