Group Hopes to Boost Armenian Americans’ Political Role

Glendale Mayor Larry Zarian still recalls exactly how many Armenian Americans were registered to vote when he first ran for the City Council 15 years ago.

Zarian, one of the first Armenian Americans to be elected to office in Southern California, made it a point to burn the number into his memory: 280, out of 13,500 voters citywide.

Since then, an unprecedented influx has made Los Angeles County home to the nation’s highest concentration of Armenians. But the Armenian community--concentrated in Glendale, Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley--has yet to meet its full political potential.

Only 25,000 of the 350,000 Armenians in Southern California are registered to vote--about 14%, compared to a 23% registration rate for Latinos and a 41% registration rate for all residents.

There are only two Armenian Americans in the state Assembly and none in the state Senate.

“A lot of progress has been made, but much more needs to be made,” Zarian said.

In response to such dismal numbers, the Armenian Assembly, a nonprofit advocacy group, is planning the largest voter registration drive to date in hopes of more than doubling the number of registered Armenian American voters.

The obstacles--cultural and financial--are formidable. Many Armenians have emigrated from such politically repressive countries as Iran and the former Soviet Union; some are unaccustomed to voting or leery of signing government documents. “There is this fear that we need to overcome,” said Peter Abajian, Western region director of the Armenian Assembly.

To kick off the registration drive, the group is planning a regionwide meeting of Armenian community leaders in the next month. And leaders of the assembly met last week with the Southwest Voter Registration Project, known for successfully registering Latinos, and came away convinced they can meet their goals--but not without difficulty.

“We knew it was going to be a long-term thing, but now we know it will be more long-term than we thought,” said Richard Mushegain, Western regional chairman of the assembly.

The key lesson is the importance of finding volunteers to do most of the registration work, said Abajian. The Southwest group trains residents to organize and register people in their own neighborhoods; Abajian said his group will try to do the same.

The assembly is also considering employing Armenian American political leaders for a television and newspaper campaign to convince people to register.

The group also may seek the help of Armenian church leaders, and is considering an ad campaign built around successful politicians such as former Gov. George Deukmejian and Zarian. Several Armenian community leaders said the registration drive is long overdue and vowed their support.

“I consider it an extremely important issue, especially since we have come to this country and enjoy its blessings,” said Archbishop Vatche Hovsepian, head of the Burbank-based Western diocese of the Armenian Church of North America. “We should take an active part in the destiny of the country.”

The registration effort sheds light on an interesting dichotomy in the Armenian community: Armenian Americans who have been in the country for 10 years or longer tend to become extremely active in the political process, say Armenian community leaders.

“When they follow issues, they follow them closely,” said Vicken Papazian, executive director of the Western chapter of the Armenian National Committee, a grass-roots advocacy group. “They are a very politicized group.”

Armenian Americans closely follow the changes taking place in the young nation of Armenia and strongly back lawmakers who support their homeland. “Those that live in the country feel strongly that if they register to vote, they will look for someone to defend Armenia,” Zarian said.

Armenian voters flexed their political muscle in Glendale in 1991 to help reelect Zarian and City Councilwoman Eileen Givens, who reached out to the Armenian community. The Armenian National Committee distributed 10,000 fliers and 3,000 absentee ballot applications to voters with Armenian names. About 150 volunteers staffed phone banks and walked precincts.

Armenian American activists hope they can raise $20,000 for the drive.

“If they came from Armenia or Iran, the importance of the vote there was nil,” said Serge Samoniantz, editor of the California Currier in Glendale, an Armenian newspaper. “It’s not easy for an individual who comes from those communities where those things are not taught to now get involved.”