Asian Services in Action (ASIA) has partnered with Branch – a nonpartisan tech and political research organization – to create and release a comprehensive digital ballot guide for the state of Ohio. The ballot guide will list all elections on a person’s ballot depending on their street address, the candidates for each race, and the candidates’ stances on various issues. It will be available in English, Nepali, and Ka’Ren. The English version of the guide was made available on September 25th, and the multilingual versions will be released in October. Â
"Language access and information access are major barriers for new voters,” said Anna Chen, Manager of Communications and Civic Engagement at ASIA. “So, we are excited to release this ballot guide in two of the languages commonly spoken among our naturalized citizens from the refugee communities so that they can vote with confidence down the ballot and have impact on their own communities.” Â
Visitors to the website can enter their Ohio street address to read about all the offices or issues that are up for election in November, including but not limited to the presidential race, the U.S. Senate race, congressional races, state senator and representative, county judges, and Issue 1. Regarding elections between candidates, the guide compares their stated stances on topics such as economy, healthcare, and education. Â
The guide will also provide a profile for each candidate that details their political/professional background as well as their records of votes and other actions as an elected official. The guide shares how lesser-known offices or issues on the ballot will impact voters to encourage voting the entire ballot. Specific local races are available for Summit County residents, and the ballot guide will indicate if they do not have a voter’s complete ballot if they live beyond Northeast Ohio. Â
The voter guide is available at https://asiaohio.branch.vote. Â
(Edit 10/13 - The ballot guide was originally described as available in Nepali and Ka'Ren. Correction was made so that the guide will be available in full translation in Nepali, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese. It is partially translated into Ka'Ren)
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ASIA is the largest health and human services agency that serves, supports, and advocates for the Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) community of Northeast Ohio. ASIA focuses on providing linguistically and culturally centered services for immigrants and refugees. Â
MEDIA CONTACT: Anna Chen Â
EMAIL: achen@asiaohio.org Â
PHONE: (330) 459-1173Â Â
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