Category Archives: News

Latino and Asian Voters Increasingly Shape Washington State’s Political Agenda

We’re celebrating the power of the Latino, immigrant and minority vote!

OneAmerica Votes and the immigrant community is looking forward to working closely with Governor Inslee’s office, given his attention to immigrants during the campaign and his impressive record. Inslee supported the DREAM Act as a Congressman, was one of the first candidates to publicly support the Washington Voting Rights Act this past legislative session, and took a pragmatic and principled stand in support of driver’s licenses for all immigrants.

The margin of victory in the Governor’s race was 2%. Given that the combination of Latino (5%) and API (7.7%) voters in our state is 12.7% of the electorate and that, nationally, they overwhelmingly supported Obama (Latino, 75%; API, 72%), it is easy to see how this level of support in Washington would make up the difference in this race. Nationally, Latino voters also supported same-sex marriage at a higher rate (59%) than general voters (48%).

“The strength of the Latino, Asian, and immigrant vote helped Inslee and Referendum 74 and others to victory. Conventional wisdom believes that Latino and API voters tend to be more socially conservative, but most exit polls show otherwise. These voters support the freedom to marry who you love, because many also understand what it means to experience discrimination. R74 passed, in part, because organizations like OneAmerica Votes made the effort to reach out to these voters and engage them on their own terms and in their own languages.” - OneAmerica Votes Chief Executive Officer, Rich Stolz.

OneAmerica Votes successfully implemented a vast, targeted outreach plan for the elections that informed tens of thousands of registered immigrant voters about the candidates and ballot initiatives and how they would impact their families and communities. The statewide plan featured phone banks, canvassing, and a direct mail program, including outreach in multiple languages: English, Spanish, Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese, Somali, Vietnamese, Hindi and Punjabi.

“It’s difficult to see Republicans re-taking the White House or winning statewide in Washington until they recognize a changing America and start leading on issues that are important to immigrant families, starting with comprehensive immigration reform,” added Stolz.

Already, members of Washington’s Congressional delegation—including Senator Patty Murray and Rep. Adam Smith—have started issuing statements in support of reform. Meanwhile, in the 1st Congressional District, John Koster lost to Suzan DelBene, who was endorsed by OneAmerica Votes.

2012 Ballot Initiative Guide

2012 Endorsements and Get Out the Vote

2012 Endorsements Announced

OneAmerica Votes Endorses Inslee, Gonzalez and Slate of Exciting State Legislative Candidates

The most important election cycle in 20 years begins today.

Across the state, ballots are arriving in mailboxes. You and other Washingtonians will vote to elect the next President, Washington State U.S. Senator, Governor, countless statewide offices and more than half of the legislature.

Candidates and pundits across the country are starting to realize what we already knew—the immigrant vote is powerful. Because of the election’s importance in determining the future direction of our state, OneAmerica Votes is planning to communicate with 39,502 immigrant voters statewide, through phonebanks, door-to-door canvassing, and direct mail, with a focus on strategic state legislative districts. With that in mind, OneAmerica Votes is pleased to announce its initial list of endorsements for the 2012 election cycle.

First and foremost, we are excited to announce our endorsement of Jay Inslee for Governor. On issues of importance to immigrant communities, Jay has an incredibly strong record, and, most importantly, impressed the more than 20 OneAmerica Votes members from across Washington who participated in his candidate interview.

Jay’s record on issues of importance to immigrants is impressive, having supported the DREAM Act as a Congressman, becoming one of the first candidates to publicly support the Washington State Voting Rights Act this past legislative session, and, most recently, with his principled stand in support of driver’s licenses for all immigrants.

We are also incredibly pleased to endorse Justice Steven Gonzalez for Washington State Supreme Court, Position 8. Justice Gonzalez has been endorsed by nearly every organization and editorial board in the state because of his clear leadership, excellent qualifications and commitment to the community. Because of quirks in election law, his race will be decided in the primary, so it is critical that you cast your vote for Justice Gonzalez now, in the primary.

In addition to these endorsements in statewide races, we are pleased to announce the following state legislative endorsements, with more to follow:

Luis Moscoso, State Representative, Legislative District 1
Mark Mullet, State Senate, Legislative District 5
Bob Hasegawa, State Senate, Legislative District 11
Bobby Virk, State Representative, Legislative District 11
Zack Hudgins, State Representative, Legislative District 11
Jeannie Darneille, State Senate, Legislative District 27
Cindy Ryu, State Representative, Legislative District 32
Sahar Fathi, State Representative, Legislative District 36
Bud Sizemore, State Representative, Legislation District 47
Pat Sullivan, State Representative, Legislative District 47
Cyrus Habib, State Representative, Legislative District 48
Ross Hunter, State Representative, Legislative District 48

Donate to support OneAmerica Votes’ efforts to mobilize immigrant voters in the upcoming election. $50 is enough for seven hours of phone banking, $100 will fund a volunteer-led canvass using OneAmerica Votes’ movement-building organizing model.

As a 501(c)(4) tax-exempt organization, donations to OneAmerica Votes are NOT tax-deductible.

For a complete list of updated endorsements, visit our Endorsements page. And keep up with us by following us on Twitter @OneAmericaVotes and on Facebook.

2011 Election: Attacks on Immigrants, Workers, and Women Defeated

Several results from the 2011 election – both locally and across the nation – reveal voters repudiating extremist policies and candidates that have unjustly targeted immigrants, workers, and women. Election results in Arizona, Ohio, Mississippi, and Washington provide inspiration for communities who have been used as scapegoats during an economic crisis and should serve as a warning to politicians and candidates heading into next year’s election.

In some key city, county, and state races, OneAmerica Votes interviewed candidates, asking them tough questions about their priorities and how they would represent immigrants during their time in office and made some endorsements. We also studied the initiatives and made recommendations.

OneAmerica Votes was encouraged by the results of two initiatives: first, the overwhelming support for Initiative 1163 which requires basic certification and training requirements for long-term care workers and, second, the defeat of Initiative 1125 which would have had have a terrible impact on public transit around the state. We’re also thrilled that Seattle voters chose to continue supporting the vital Family and Education Levy. Unfortunately, Initiative 1183 passed which will privatize liquor stores across the state and make alcohol more accessible to minors.

In the six races that OneAmerica Votes endorsed a candidate, five won. All Seattle City Council candidates who OneAmerica Votes endorsed – Bruce Harrell, Sally Clark, Tim Burgess, Tom Rasmussen, and Jean Godden – were victorious (though we endorsed both Ms. Godden and Bobby Forch for Position 1). Unfortunately, Richard Mitchell, who we endorsed for King Council Council, District 6, wasn’t successful in his race. An immigrant himself, Richard reflects the changing demographics of King County’s Eastside and impressed us with his vision for the district. OneAmerica Votes congratulates those we supported with their victories and encourages those who didn’t win this time to consider running again in the future.

The following is a statement from OneAmerica Votes Chief Executive Officer Pramila Jayapal:

“Voters across the country clearly sent a signal that extremist and divisive policies will not be tolerated. There has been a concerted and well-funded attack in recent years on immigrants, workers, and women. These attacks come from politicians and corporations who want to create an America where state government is weak and corporations rule, where wages are depressed while the income gap is increased.

These attacks were dealt a serious setback in these elections when voters renounced this direction for our country. In a historic election in Arizona, voters in suburban Phoenix recalled Russell Pearce, the architect of Arizona’s ‘show me your papers’ bill. Candidates in both parties should be improving their tone on immigration leading up to the 2012 election after such a visible anti-immigrant crusader was kicked out of office.

Voters in Ohio resoundingly stood up for working families and collective bargaining rights in the face of vast and secretive corporate political spending. For the first time in years, civil rights leaders fought alongside unions to defeat SB5, a cornerstone of the Koch brothers’ attack on public workers. Voters in Mississippi defended a women’s right to choose by resoundingly defeating a constitutional amendment that would have criminalized reproductive choice.

Here in Washington, voters overwhelmingly supported I-1163 which will provide stronger training for Washington home-care workers who are disproportionately people of color and immigrants. The loss of Initiative 1125 hands anti-government crusader Tim Eyman another defeat. In Seatac, two of three candidates who expressed anti-immigrant views, including some who pit seniors against refugees in campaign literature, were soundly defeated, while the third trails in a race that is too close to call.

The 2012 election will no doubt be the most expensive in our history. The shadowy front groups who are gearing up to take away hard-fought rights for immigrants, workers, and women should view this election as a cautionary tale. At the same time, these elections provide a hopeful reminder that immigrants and communities of color, workers, and women aren’t disparate voting blocks, but a united community and part of the 99%.”