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“In previous years, the political situation in the United States was less volatile, many Vietnamese like our family were only concerned with doing business. However, this year we are concerned about the possibility of Democrats coming to power and wanting the president. Donald Trump kept leading the United States, so he decided to vote, “said Mike Ngo, a mechanic from Chandler City, Maricopa County, Arizona. VnExpresss.
Arizona has a history of supporting the Republican presidential candidate, but this year it is considered a battleground state. Most polls in recent months have found Democrat Joe Biden ahead of President Donald Trump in the state.
After a direct debate on October 7 evening, two vice presidential candidates, Kamala Harris and Mike Pence, went to Arizona to lobby, hoping to attract voters to vote early. President Trump has visited Arizona many times before and planned to campaign in the cities of Tucson and Flagstaff, but had to cancel the plan due to Covid-19.
An early voting location in Cleveland, Ohio, on October 13. Image: AP.
For the sake of time, avoiding crowds of people in the sun and the risk of Covid-19 infection, Mike chose to vote on October 7, the first day live voting centers in Arizona opened. .
Arizona voters can vote directly at the venues through October 30, in the time frame of 9:00 to 17:00 on weekdays. On the state elections website, Mr. Mike searched for the closest polling place to his home and drove with two younger sisters.
“I showed up at 15am, the voting table was not full and we didn’t need to queue. When I walked in, they just asked me to show my driver’s license for the staff to scan and confirm personal information like Full name, date of birth and address, and print the ballot, ”he said.
Poll staff gave Mr. Mike pens and specific instructions on how to fill in the box next to the name of his chosen presidential candidate and then go to the closet to fill out all the items on the ballot.
“The last step is to put the ballot envelope back in the ballot box. There are two supervisors here to make sure voters are following the correct procedure and giving them hand sanitizer before they leave, so I’m very. Peace of mind, “added the Vietnam-born man.
Maricopa County, where Mike lived, had the record number of voters who voted in person earlier that day with 2,922 votes, compared to just 847 voters in 2016. However, Mike said he was lucky. It took a long time and about half an hour to complete the vote, because “the first vote was still a bit overwhelming.”
“I don’t believe in mailing ballots early because fraud can occur. Direct early voting is convenient for busy people and especially security during the season,” he said. “One of my votes may not change anything, but many people vote together, it will be very effective. That is why people who have never voted like me this time to vote for the Communist Party. draw more chances of winning. “
There are 39 states in the US that allow direct early voting, with different organizational deadlines. This is the most common way of voting for US citizens, since official election day is always a Tuesday and never a holiday.
As of October 12, nearly 10.3 million American voters have voted in the states, including by mail and direct ballot, according to data from the University of Florida Election Project. The number of presidential elections earlier this year is many times higher than in the same period in 2016 because Covid-19 is still complicated.
The United States is the largest Covid-19 outbreak in the world with more than 8.2 million cases and more than 220,000 deaths. Experts warned that many states are in a position to prepare for a new outbreak, especially the alarming trend in the northeast region of the country.
Texas is one of two states that began early voting last week with long lines of voters, especially in urban and suburban areas that tend to favor Democrats. Many people in Texas have to queue for quite a long time, especially in the city of San Antonio, the waiting process takes several hours.
Deserted scene at an early voting station in Houston, Texas, on October 15. The electoral college posts a parking guide in Vietnamese for Vietnamese voters. Image: Characters provided.
Mr. Nguyen Minh, a Vietnam-born voter in Austin, Travis County, shared an easy way not to spend too much time on the local government website and to see the polling station wait time graph. .
“In my county there are about 50 early polling stations, I chose one 10 miles from home with an expected wait time of less than 20 minutes. I finished voting in just 15 minutes,” he said.
Huong Nguyen in Houston, the most populous city in Texas and the fourth most populous in the US, is also lucky enough not to have to go through the queue by visiting the government website and choosing a location close to home to travel comfortably.
“In my experience, by being a voter and volunteer to support elections, direct voting is safer and saves more time”, Vietnamese woman has lived in the United States for 30 years and 5 times to go to the presidential elections, let’s say .
Always supporting the Republican Party and this year supporting President Trump, Huong decided to vote from the first day Texas held an early vote on October 13. This year, every city in the state has added places for early voting, he said. On the first day, at some point, voters may have to wait in long lines due to technical problems, but this is not a common situation.
In Houston, polling stations are open from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm
“When I entered the voting booth, the staff verified my personal information and verified that I registered to vote, then gave me a sheet of paper with my own code to enter the machine and start selecting candidates. But I am confident,” he said .
Harris County, including the city of Houston, broke the 2016 record for the first day of voting with more than 128,000 votes. According to the United States Census, Texas is the state with the second highest number of Vietnamese after California, most of whom are concentrated in Houston.
“I am always proud to express my political views, to elect representatives for the region and the country in which I live,” Huong said. “When I have the time and opportunity to do that, why don’t I have to wait until the last minute? I’m even going to vote early because on official election day, I’ll be volunteering at the district polling place.” to support Vietnamese voters when needed. That day will be very busy.
The sheet of paper with the “I voted” sticker that Ms. Huong Nguyen received after the vote ended on October 13 with a souvenir note printed with a photo of President Trump, given to her by a friend. Image: Characters provided.
Contrary to the views of Ms. Huong and Mr. Mike, some Vietnamese said they voted early by mail to reduce travel time and avoid crowds, others wait until the last day to vote because they have not decided. plan to choose which candidate.
“The last week also promises a lot of sensational information, so I have to wait and see. Also, going to vote early is like allowing two candidates to ‘ditch’ me,” said Dinh Bang, a voter in the state of the battlefield. Florida, he says. “Not to mention that, in addition to electing the president, voters have to elect dozens of people for local offices and I have not done my research yet. Perhaps the party vote will facilitate the decision, and voila. Early voting.”
Speaking on the party issue, Huong said that in her family, the more she supports President Trump, the more her husband protests. However, both respect the opinions of the other, do not argue and do not force the other to follow their wishes.
“I want everyone to have the right to express their views and trust those who will govern the country in the next term by vote,” he said. “The voice of all United States citizens is equally important. Vietnamese must exercise their citizenship when they become American citizens. Vote for the person you trust and leave blank if you see both answers. Members are not worthy of their beliefs “.
