By Jason Cruz
Northwest Asian Weekly
Andrew Yang speaking to a crowd at Seattle’s Gas Works Park on May 3. (Photo by John Liu)
Andrew Yang is officially on the ballot in the state of Washington.
Yang’s supporters filed the official paperwork with the offices of the Washington State Democrats on Nov. 15. He becomes the third democratic presidential candidate to officially complete the process of being on the election ballot this March for the primary to run for the President of the United States.
A total of 2,341 signatures were gathered by Yang’s supporters on the streets of Seattle in order to put him on the ballot. The minimum limit is 1,000, but according to Yang volunteer Ben Stephens, the overage of signatures ensures that if any names are questioned or thrown out during the verification process, there would be ample amounts left to make the requisite limits.
The signatures are scrutinized as they must be of valid, registered voters with contact information. If an individual, even in good faith, does not fill in the signature correctly, it is not counted toward the requisite amount.
Yang, the first Chinese American to run for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States, has been rising in recent polls. His platform of providing each American over the age of 18 $1,000 per month, known as the Freedom Dividend, is gaining traction with prospective voters. The former lawyer and entrepreneur is also concerned that the automation of jobs will leave many Americans out of a job. The message is resonating with many voters looking for a change of course with the current state of America and American politics.
Yang’s first big splash in the Seattle area was a rally last spring at Gasworks Park. This is what got Stephens up to volunteer.
“The first time I volunteered was that May Gasworks Park rally. I watched him on YouTube and became involved with its Facebook group.”
Stephens felt compelled with Yang’s message and his overall sincerity to help Americans.
Ben Stephens (Photo by Jason Cruz)
“I would say that I really like his policies and say that it is the right policies at the right time, but if I were to be honest, if you were to just watch him for 10 minutes on YouTube, you see a man who is genuine, I didn’t see a politician.”
Stephens added, “He’s in this race because he sees a lot of problems coming down the pike that the political establishment is not prepared for.”
Yang’s supporters see the completion of the process for him to be on the ballot as a significant benchmark. Stephens highlighted that it caps off the teamwork of canvassing at farmers markets, outside of movie theatres, and other areas where people congregate.
Stephens helped coordinate community outreach and canvassing of areas to gather the names on the ballot. This required him and other volunteers to step outside of their comfort zone and talk to strangers.
He noted that a majority of people he interacted with knew of Yang and his policies. Even those that were undecided signed on behalf of Yang, acknowledging that the candidate should have his name on the ballot. Stephens recalled a displaced manufacturer worker unsure of Yang’s policies, to which he reminded the worker of Yang’s concern that millions of manufacturing jobs could be eliminated by robots and automation.
“At that point, the switch went off for him,” and he seemed to get behind Yang, Stephens retold.
In addition to personally reaching out to voters, Yang’s Washington state campaign has a solid team working on digital efforts in getting his message out on various social media platforms.
The deadline for candidates to turn in their signatures and accompanying paperwork to appear on the March 10, 2020 primary ballot is the beginning of January 2020.
Jason can be reached at editor@nwasianweekly.com.