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| Strong winds from a cold front moving through Central Florida whip the massive American flag at Toyota of Orlando along Interstate 4, on the eve of the 2020 election, Monday, Nov. 2, 2020. AP |
By Jane Han
SEATTLE ― Koreans with voting rights in the U.S. head to the polls today to cast their ballots in what is considered one of the messiest, most contentious and controversial presidential elections in U.S. history.
As unpredictable as this election night is expected to be, it is unclear whether Koreans, as a whole, will choose the Democratic or Republican ticket.
''I've never struggled this much to make up my mind on who to vote,'' said Park Dong-hwan, 56, who owns a laundry business in the suburbs of Seattle. After acquiring U.S. citizenship, this is his third time voting in the U.S. presidential election.
''I've always been a Republican, but I didn't want to vote for Trump. I really didn't,'' said Park, who still ended up voting for the Republican candidate via mail-in ballot. ''That was my biggest struggle.''
Same goes for Democratic supporter Ji Choi, 34, who is yet to decide which way her vote will go.
''I fundamentally support Democratic policies, but the presidential and vice presidential candidates seem to be much farther left than what I'd like,'' she said, adding that she may end up not voting at all..
Various surveys polling Korean voters have been showing contradicting results in recent months, weeks and days, demonstrating just how shaky voter sentiment is among eligible Korean voters in the U.S.
According to a joint survey by Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC) and Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIA Vote), 57 percent of 250 respondents said they would vote for Democratic candidate Joe Biden, while 26 percent said they'll vote for Republican candidate and incumbent U.S. President Donald Trump.
Another similar survey conducted by Korean Research Center, 43 percent of 222 respondents indicated their vote would go to Trump, while 40 percent expressed their support for Biden.
''Many of the older Koreans like me, who run a small business, vote for Trump not because we love him as an individual. We're making the decision based on the Republican party's economic policies,'' said Park Jin-moo, 63, who recently participated in a ''Koreans for Trump'' rally held in Los Angeles.
Law enforcement is another issue older Koreans are focusing on.
''We can't have riots run loose, but a Biden administration will likely lead to weaker law enforcement, which in turn leaves small business vulnerable to looting,'' said Park.
Biden supporters, who are largely considered to be in their 20s to 40s, prioritize response to COVID-19 and racism.
''America is not the same America it was four years ago. I've never felt this unsafe while living in Los Angeles. This is a city with a giant number of Asian population and we're still seeing record number of hate crimes against Asians, said Michael Kim, 41, an immigration attorney. ''I can't imagine how much more divided we'll be with four more years of Trump.''
Lisa Chang, 48, a nurse and mom of two, says she used to be a Republican, but is leaning toward voting Democratic for the first time this year after seeing the U.S. president's handling of a global pandemic.
''I'm sure there are many people like me out there who are changing their previous political preference because of COVID,'' said Chang, who has seen the impact of COVID first hand. ''We need to have a leader who will take this pandemic seriously before it really becomes too late.''
As of Monday, more than 98.1 million Americans have already cast their votes via mail-in ballots or early voting, which is already 70 percent of the entire number of votes in the 2016 election.
