The San Francisco Elections Commission named a Chinese immigrant who came from Hong Kong to the United States in 2019 as its newest board member.
Kelly Wong, who cannot legally vote in the U.S., will be the seventh member on the city’s board to oversee election policies for San Franciso’s Department of Elections.
Wong posted on social media that she hopes that “everyone, regardless of immigration status, has a seat at the table in shaping the future of” in the city.
“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,” Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin said.
Wong claims that she will aim to increase engagement among the city’s non-English speaking communities and its immigrants.
“Even though I’m fluent in English,” Wong told KQED, “I still encounter challenges in navigating a new system, let alone participating in political conversation and activities.”
