Last week, San Francisco’s Elections Commission swore in Kelly Wong after she was unanimously voted in by the city’s Board of Supervisors.
"I’m very impressed by her commitment to enfranchising people who rarely vote, to educating people about the voting process, and to bring in noncitizens and get them the tools they need as they become citizens," said Board of Supervisors president Aaron Peskin, according to KQED.
While the board may be impressed by her, most others are looking on in shock given the woman is a Hong Kong immigrant who cannot even legally vote in the U.S.
She "is believed to be the first noncitizen appointed to the commission," KQED reported of the seven-member body that oversees and creates policy for the city’s Department of Elections.
The move comes after voters supported a measure in 2020 removing the citizenship requirement to serve on boards, commissions, and advisory bodies in the city.
Drawing on her lived experience, Wong said she wants to increase engagement among the city’s immigrant and non-English speaking communities. Anyone who has delved into San Francisco’s ballot knows it can be just as confusing for native English speakers to decipher the myriad propositions, their arguments, and the city’s ranked-choice voting system.
“Even though I’m fluent in English, I still encounter challenges in navigating a new system, let alone participating in political conversation and activities,” Wong said in an interview with KQED before Wednesday’s swearing-in ceremony.
One of Wong’s priorities is to ensure that voter materials are translated in a way that people can understand – she pointed out, for example, that there isn’t an equivalent term for the word “reparations” in Cantonese or Mandarin.
“I’ve seen how language and cultural barriers prevent immigrants with limited English proficiency from fully exercising their right to vote,” Wong said. “Is there a way to do voter outreach that is not just about translation but can touch on political education while maintaining neutrality and impartiality in elections?”
Since 2022, Wong has done this kind of work as an immigrant rights advocate at Chinese for Affirmative Action, a civil rights group in San Francisco that focuses on the city’s Chinese community. Since commissioners are unpaid, Wong will continue her work as an advocate, helping people like Christina Ouyang, who immigrated here from China 13 years ago. (KQED)
Wong, who came to the U.S. in 2019, said she hopes she's an inspiration to others.
“There are always voices inside my head. Like, ‘You can’t do it. You’re not competent. You’re an immigrant. This is not your country.’ That’s not true,” she told KQED. “If I can do it, you can do it.”