Philadelphia official urges Asian residents to get ID so they can vote

BY JULIE SHAW and Daily News Staff Writer
Posted: July 03, 2012

Stephanie Singer, city commissioners chairwoman, urged Asian-Americans on Monday to make sure that they exercise their right to vote despite obstacles posed by the new voter-ID law.

"I'm Jewish," she said at a panel discussion at the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corp., at 9th and Vine streets. "My people became powerful. They did it by voting. … You cannot get the power … unless you vote."

The Pew Research Center reported last month that Asians recently passed Hispanics as the largest group of new immigrants entering the United States.

Pennsylvania's new law requires people to show a photo ID, such as a driver's license, U.S. passport or other acceptable ID, to vote in the November election. People who do not have one can get a free ID at a PennDOT Driver License Center.

But doing so can be tough for citizens with limited English-language proficiency, said Glenn Magpantay, director of the Democracy Program for the New York-based Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund. These citizens "know some English," but can be stymied by the application and process, he said.

Nina Ahmad, chairwoman of the Mayor's Commission on Asian American Affairs, and Kay Kyungsun Yu, chairwoman of the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations, who were not part of the panel, noted that it can take considerable time to gather the proper documents and apply for a photo ID.

Jennifer Lin, president of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Pennsylvania, urged anyone who needs help to call 484-533-7192 or email apabapa@gmail.com. n

Contact Julie Shaw at 215-854-2592 or shawj@phillynews.com, or on Twitter @julieshawphilly.

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