After recently becoming U.S. citizens, Roselia Navarro and Halley Ji-Zhang are preparing to vote for the first time in the upcoming November elections in battleground states. They are among the more than 3.5 million citizens naturalized since 2020 who have become eligible to vote. Despite the existing laws that prohibit noncitizens from voting, both women will encounter state ballot measures seeking to emphasize this point. In recent years, the number of naturalized citizens has grown, and while overall voter turnout among them has been lower than U.S.-born voters, Latino and Asian American naturalized voters have shown higher participation rates. Navarro, a Mexican immigrant, and Ji-Zhang, a Chinese immigrant, both view voting as an important way to have a voice in elections, especially in light of recent events like the surge in anti-Asian hate. However, they face concerns due to highly debated ballot measures in Wisconsin and North Carolina aimed at amending voter-eligibility language, even though noncitizen voting is already illegal. While proponents of the measures argue for clarifying the eligibility criteria, opponents see them as redundant and potentially harmful, fueling false narratives about noncitizens voting. Despite concerns, naturalized citizens like Navarro, Ji-Zhang, and Saiesh Srivastava see voting as an essential way to engage in the democratic process and have their voices heard.
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