Vietnamese Candidates Step Forth

It’s difficult for new citizens to adapt to American life while still retaining parts of their own culture, but efforts to do that are evident on the Nov. 7 ballot in some Orange County cities.

A quarter-century after the end of the Vietnam War, it is encouraging to see these new Americans taking part more actively in the local political process in increasing numbers. For the first time since the initial wave of Vietnamese immigrants began arriving in the county 25 years ago after the fall of Saigon, there are four Vietnamese candidates on the ballot seeking election to city council seats in Westminster and Garden Grove.

That’s an encouraging sign of that community’s growing interest in becoming active in the governing process of the adopted home. Since 1975, as is historically the case with new immigrants, Vietnamese residents have been slow to register to vote and then to turn out at the polls on election day. One reason is that some still have not become citizens. Others may harbor a distrust of the system and its candidates, a carry-over from their experiences with politics in Vietnam.

Whatever the reason, the barriers to participation appear to be coming down now that the community has become more settled and begun to take part in American civic life.

In 1992, Westminster City Councilman Tony Lam became the first Vietnamese elected official in the nation. His success no doubt provided encouragement. In 1998, two other Vietnamese sought city council seats. They lost. But now four more candidates are offering themselves for public service. That’s good, not only for Westminster and Garden Grove, which have substantial Vietnamese populations, but for all of Orange County.

The emergence of candidates helps in pushing the acceptance of Vietnamese residents--and all other minorities--as members of the county’s diverse community. It also serves notice to other candidates and elected officials that they can’t continue to ignore minorities because of an assumption that these citizens do not exercise their voting franchise.

In addition, it spotlights the need for more minority residents to become more active in the political and governing process. They should register to vote. And once registered, they need to turn out to cast ballots. And yes, they should consider running for office themselves.