María Negrete never expected that after passing her citizenship exam at the Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) offices in downtown Los Angeles, the officer would ask her if she had time to stay for her swearing-in ceremony.
“I had asked for the day off from work, and I said yes,” he says.
An hour later, around 9 a.m. on Tuesday, February 27, María, an immigrant from Hidalgo, Mexico who arrived undocumented in 1989 in Los Angeles in search of a better life, took the oath of allegiance to the United States in a small ceremony in which around five people were naturalized.
“I had gone with my two daughters Araceli and Maritza. We went to breakfast; and from there we went to a voting center in Lynwood.”
María, who works as a student monitor at Firebaugh High School and as a caregiver for older adults at home, says that with her citizenship certificate, she registered to vote and was able to cast her vote right then and there.
“Tuesday, February 27, was a day full of emotions. The next day I arrived at the school where I work as my little American flag. “Everyone congratulated me,” she says happily.
“I feel fulfilled. My dream of being a citizen and being able to vote came true,” says María, for whom her greatest pride is that her three daughters have gone to university, and that two of them already have a master’s degree, and one more is in the process.
María says that before going to vote, she rehearsed with her daughters on a sample ballot and chose the candidates she was going to vote for.
“When I got to the screen where I was going to vote, I already knew who I was going to give my vote to. “Everything was very easy,” says María, full of satisfaction.
The Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters points out in a statement that first-time voters like Maria, who missed the registration deadline can visit any voting center, fill out a conditional form and cast their vote at this election.
The complete list and map of places where you can find a voting center can be found at LOCATOR.LAVOTE.GOV.
Voters who plan to vote in person can save time by using the interactive sample ballot.
This optional tool allows voters to review and mark their selections on their smartphone or computer and instantly transfer their votes at a voting center with their voting pass (QR code).
According to federal information, in fiscal year 2022, almost one million immigrants became naturalized US citizens, the highest number in 15 years. With citizenship comes the duty to vote.
The importance of voting
However, in the June 2022 primary election, just 15% of Latinos eligible to vote went to the polls.
“We are in a period of very important change. At stake is who is going to be the next president of the country, and at the local level which candidates advance and who stays by the wayside; That is why it is important that Latinos not stop going to vote this Tuesday, March 5, and do so for those who cannot vote,” said Juan José Gutiérrez, leader of the Full Rights Coalition for Immigrants.
“Voting is important, we have 36.2 million Latinos eligible to vote, but it is projected that 17.5 million will go to the polls, which is not even half of the potential we have. “If we really went out to vote, we would change the political face of this country,” he stated.
He attributed the lack of interest to candidates promising a lot and delivering little. “We have not been successful in achieving immigration reform. It will be four decades since the last reform that a Republican gave us, and although there are a variety of issues that interest the Latino voter, immigration reform is a priority.”
Free Raites
Metro, Los Angeles’ public transportation service, will offer free buses and trains to get voters to the polls on Tuesday, March 5 during the California primary election.
The polls will open at 7 in the morning and close at 8 at night, but the free transportation will continue until midnight.
The Metro Micro and the shared bicycle service will also be free of charge.
At the same time, it offers mailboxes to deposit the electoral ballot at nine train and bus stations:
- Union Station (East Portal)
- El Monte Bus Station J Line, many local bus lines (plaza area)
- Harbor Freeway Station C and J Lines (park and ride area)
- Harbor Gateway Transit Center J Line, many other local lines (transit plaza area)
- Hollywood/Western Station B (Red) Line (mezzanine area)
- North Hollywood Station B (Red) Line (plaza area outside portal)
- Norwalk Station C Line (plaza area)
- Wilshire/Vermont Station B (Red) and D (Purple) Lines (courtyard area)