Ending Voter Manipulation Through Immigrant Education

The Tom Green County Election and Voter Registration Department is important, and the November presidential election is the most important one, Dr. Alma Perez explained to her class of approximately 20 immigrants and San Angelo residents Wednesday evening in Spanish. To highlight that importance, Rudy Olivas, election coordinator for the TGC Election/Voter Registration Department, walked to the front of the class, and with all eyes on him, he explained the step-by-step process of voting.

Not only will these students be able to vote in the next election, but they will also know both Democrat and Republican platforms so they won't be victim to partisan politics, said Lydia Ramon, a volunteer instructor with the Immigration Integration Project in San Angelo.

"We're going to teach them the platforms, both Democrat and Republican," Ramon said. "That way they know what they're voting for."

Overall, the message Perez, Olivas and Ramon emphasized is, once they have their naturalization, these soon-to-be citizens will have the right and freedom to vote, and no one should be able to tell them how or when to do so. This learning is also just one aspect of the Immigration Integration Project, a new non-profit organization in San Angelo. The agency assists recent legal immigrants in the process of economic mobility and social inclusion in the city, and in the U.S.

As of June, thanks to Dr. Alma Perez and the Immigration Integration Project, many immigrants in San Angelo, including those students in attendance Wednesday, will be eligible to vote in November because they will be naturalized citizens.

"They are so excited," Perez said. "This has truly been a blessing."

Perez said because of this next step in these individuals' lives, she felt it appropriate to bring Olivas in to help show them how to vote, so they don't feel intimidated by the process. 

“The purpose is to show you how to vote electronically,” Olivas told his avid listeners during his presentation.

After Olivas explained the process in depth and answered questions, the students got up and experimented with the voting machines under Olivas’ tutelage so they could put words into action. As they did so, the students smiled and talked with excitement.

This class on voting would be their last for the time being. So to finalize things, Perez looked around at the students and told them in Spanish, “Voting changes everything. You are all young. What a future it would be to change the system, right?”

Perez also told the students that although this was the last class, that didn’t mean things were over. They are like family, and the teachers would continue and help them achieve their goals.

Ramon also told them it’s important to remember the platforms of Republicans and Democrats—to listen to the programs that discuss the issues.

Ramon said, unfortunately, many people take advantage of the immigrants’ lack of understanding of the voting process. They tell them that, because they are poor, they have to vote for the Democrat candidate. That’s why she and Perez wanted to focus on this process. They wanted to teach them not only how to vote, but also the platforms of each party and what they believe. By teaching them the platforms, the people can make their own decisions and will not fall victim to partisan politics.

“While I’m here, and God willing I will be here, I’m going to read to them what the platforms are,” Ramon said. “I’m going to read what the Democrat (Party) platform is. I’m not going to tell them how to vote. I’m going to read to them the Republican (Party) platform. They’ve been told, ‘Because you’re poor, you’re going to vote democrat.’ No ma’am.”

Ramon said the students know what's going on. They have voiced their dislike of Obamacare because “it’s ruined it for them.” They are also paying more taxes.

“So no, we’re not swaying them,” she added.

Another assumption Americans and politicians think is that immigrants are worried just about immigration. That’s not true either, Ramon stated. They too worry about education, taxes, and foreign policy because many of their children are in the military serving this country.

Many of the immigrants taking the classes are hard working people, Ramon said. In fact, some students who had to miss the last class and the voting presentation were quite upset because they wanted to know the process. However, Ramon assured them she would go through it once more with them to ensure they are prepared to vote come November, and after they receive their naturalization.

Ramon also addressed the misconceptions about Mexicans not wanting to assimilate to the U.S. way of life.

“They want to assimilate,” she said. “They already assimilated when they left their families in Mexico to come here and learn, and they had to learn it the hard way. But they are assimilating the minute they crossed over—the minute they got a job. They assimilated, and it was hard for them to leave their families. The very first thing I ask them is, ‘why do you want to become a citizen?’ You know what their answer is? ‘I want to vote. I want to go to school.’ They have aspirations. They assimilate very quickly. Just like everyone else, they want the American Dream, and they’re already living it. They come here to be free and to have that freedom of speech; freedom of religion; freedom to vote; and freedom to stand for our country.”

Perez started the Immigration Integration Project in December. She said since starting, “It has been a blessing.”

The class that ended Wednesday is the second class held at the Business Center at 69 N. Chadbourne, and it almost doubled in size since the start of the program. These classes are free. Before the next naturalization test in June, the program should hold one or two more classes, and Ramon said it’s her hope they will be able to take all the students to the appropriate location to take their naturalization test. 

In addition to helping students prepare for their citizenship, IIP offers the following:

• Immigrant Services, Adult Literacy & ESL
• Immigrant Parents & Early Childhood Programs
• Civic Engagement Training Program
• Broad Immigrant Integration

Ramon said these services were a major need for San Angelo.

“This has been a learning process for me. I lived in the Dallas Fort Worth area, and I helped a lot of organizations,” she stated. “I had never experienced the need like here in San Angelo.”

Ramon added that the reason the program has been a success is because the teachers are bilingual, and that resonates with the people. They are more comfortable. Ramon said she takes the students who don’t know any English and teaches them the material first in Spanish, and then she teaches them in English so they can understand better.

“It took us seven months to do the development of our classes,” Ramon stated. “We did a lot of research. We went and did a survey on the radio, and we asked questions.”

With the IIP, both Perez and Ramon hope to help these immigrant families become more productive members in the community.

Ramon said, “People die of a lack of education, and I see the more we educate, the more we teach them, and once they become citizens, some of them will go to college, even if it’s a junior college. Some of them will get GEDs. Isn’t that good for San Angelo?”

For more information on the Immigrant Integration Project, visit http://www.iminpro.org.