Skip to main content

The Leland Yee Effect and the 'Too-Busy' Asian American Voter

Support Provided By
Suspended California state senator Leland Yee.
Suspended California state senator Leland Yee. | Original photo: Tim Bartel/Flickr/Creative Commons License

In late March, Democratic state senator Leland Yee was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on charges of accepting bribes, accepting campaign contributions in exchange for political favors, and dealing firearms without a license by importing weapons from a reputed extremist group in the Philippines.

Like all individuals in this country with criminal charges brought against them, Yee is still considered innocent until proven guilty, but the charges have already brought serious damage to the reputation of one of California's most prominent Asian American politicians: His senate colleagues in Sacramento voted to suspend him, and Yee himself dropped out of his candidacy for California's Secretary of State in this year's elections.

Though most of us here in Southern California didn't vote Yee into his state senate office, which represents the San Francisco area, I couldn't help but wonder what sort of effect his charges and potential conviction would have on the Asian/Pacific Islander community at-large, particularly our community's rather limited forays into public office, and political representation in general.

On one hand, Yee's aborted run for Secretary of State didn't really affect any new frontiers for Asian American electeds either way -- that office was already pioneered by March Fong Eu nearly 40 years ago. She served that post from 1975 to 1994.

On the other hand, Yee's alleged actions might make it that much harder for other Asian American political hopefuls aspiring for Sacramento or beyond. The fallout from Yee's arrest has already affected Chinese American community leaders in Yee's district, where an increased perception of organized crime, stemming not just from Yee, but on related charges that have also brought SF Chinatown gangster Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow to authorities, has caused leaders to cry foul at efforts to stereotype the community. It's bad enough lately that even athletes of Asian heritage have been labeled as being "deceptive."

And how would The Leland Yee Effect influence Asian American voter participation? Would it cause voters to vet candidates more carefully? Would it create a surge of cynicism to the process?

It turns out that particular aspect doesn't even matter anyway. The other week, a Pew Research Center report found that Asian American voter participation has lagged behind that of whites, blacks, and Latinos since 1998 -- despite growing demographics -- with voter apathy found among Asian Americans across all education and income levels, with many of them claiming to be "too busy" with work or school to even bother going to the polls.

If Yee's accusations are indeed true, then he, or any elected official who commits similar misdeeds, certainly felt privileged enough to believe they can get away with such things, and in turn abused their responsibility as a representative elected by the people.

Even in my own short-lived, unsuccessful foray into politics, it didn't take long to realize that the amount of money raised in campaigns -- even for local offices -- is mindblowingly sickening. The even-larger pools of funds raised in many partisan races, for either major party have even gotten me questioning my own party affiliation. The potential for corruption and abuse looms large for those who have such designs. I've met enough political hopefuls with questionable motives that were far more fundraising-savvy than I was, so suffice it to say that Yee, if proven guilty, most likely won't be the last, unfortunately.

Apathetic voters might feel they're perhaps the farthest one can get from a corrupt elected official, but there are parallels: They, too feel privileged enough to not have to exercise their right to vote, and to feel privileged enough that their vote won't make a difference, that they can get away with not having to participate in the democratic process, in turn they abuse their responsibility as citizens who are tasked with electing those who are meant to represent us.

And then there's the somewhat symbiotic relationship between the corrupt politician and the apathetic voter: The un-voter uses the actions of unscrupulous officeholders to justify their refusal to vote. They're all jerks anyway, right? The unscrupulous politician, in a way, relies the apathetic voter to justify getting away with things. If voters don't care about the process, then who really would care if a little power has been abused?

With Asians being the largest immigrating group into the U.S., these are issues we need to consider facing the future. Who will represent us? Will anyone bother to have anyone represent us in the first place? And while Yee, if convicted, might be one of the "few bad apples," will the bad apples end up being the few who will represent us?

Dunno about you, but I do take this voting thing rather seriously. Because once upon a time, people who looked like me weren't even allowed to vote. I'll never be privileged enough to forget that.

Support Provided By
Read More
Gray industrial towers and stacks rise up from behind the pitched roofs of warehouse buildings against a gray-blue sky, with a row of yellow-gold barrels with black lids lined up in the foreground to the right of a portable toilet.

California Isn't on Track To Meet Its Climate Change Mandates. It's Not Even Close.

According to the annual California Green Innovation Index released by Next 10 last week, California is off track from meeting its climate goals for the year 2030, as well as reaching carbon neutrality by 2045.
A row of cows stands in individual cages along a line of light-colored enclosures, placed along a dirt path under a blue sky dotted with white puffy clouds.

A Battle Is Underway Over California’s Lucrative Dairy Biogas Market

California is considering changes to a program that has incentivized dairy biogas, to transform methane emissions into a source of natural gas. Neighbors are pushing for an end to the subsidies because of its impact on air quality and possible water pollution.
A Black woman with long, black brains wears a black Chicago Bulls windbreaker jacket with red and white stripes as she stands at the top of a short staircase in a housing complex and rests her left hand on the metal railing. She smiles slightly while looking directly at the camera.

Los Angeles County Is Testing AI's Ability To Prevent Homelessness

In order to prevent people from becoming homeless before it happens, Los Angeles County officials are using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to predict who in the county is most likely to lose their housing. They would then step in to help those people with their rent, utility bills, car payments and more so they don't become unhoused.