Expand Voting Rights in Santa Ana to Noncitizen Residents
In 2023, VietRISE, residents, and our partner organizations formed the
Santa Ana Families for Fair Elections (SAFFE) coalition
SAFFE is a multiracial coalition of community organizations and residents in Santa Ana dedicated to expanding voting rights for all Santa Ana residents, regardless of their immigration status. The campaign aims to foster belonging among Santa Ana communities, bolster democratic inclusion, promote civic engagement, and improve community resources. As a founding coalition member, we believe all residents of voting age, regardless of immigration status, should be able to participate in local elections.
In addition to resident leaders, the core organizations that make up SAFFE are the Harbor Institute for Immigrant and Economic Justice, VietRISE, OC Justice Fund, SACrED, El Centro Cultural de Mexico, Esperanza Union del Inquilinos, and the ACLU SoCal.
Santa Ana is home to the largest share of noncitizens in Orange County. Out of the city’s estimated 313,818 residents,
74,125 (23.62%)
are noncitizens who currently do not have the right to vote for city council elections.
At the heart of SAFFE’s campaign lies the principle of democratic inclusion that every resident’s voice should be heard in decisions that significantly impact their daily lives.
✔ Community Voices
“City funding and resources are allocated based on political representation. We live in a city where the majority of residents are renters and many of them are immigrants and refugees that cannot vote. We need political representation that reflects us. We must have the right to vote to have our voices represented.”
– Maria de Los Angeles Piña, an immigrant resident of Santa Ana for 20 years and member of SAFFE
“The city needs to expand the right to vote for all residents regardless of immigration status. As immigrants, we also contribute to the city. This will only strengthen our city and showcase freedom and equality. It will help uplift the spirit of the Vietnamese community in Santa Ana and improve our living conditions. I urge the City Council to help us pass noncitizen voting to improve Santa Ana for everyone.”
– Phuong Vu, a Vietnamese senior resident of Santa Ana for 27 years and member of SAFFE
In collaboration with city council allies, SAFFE successfully placed a measure on the ballot for the 2024 General Election. If passed, the City would expand the right to vote in city elections to all residents, regardless of immigration status, and would have up until 2028 to implement the voting.
Let’s make Santa Ana city government accountable to ALL its residents.
OUR MISSION
VietRISE advances social justice and builds power with working-class Vietnamese and immigrant communities in Orange County. We build leadership and create systemic change through organizing, narrative change, cultural empowerment, and civic engagement.
VietRISE is fiscally sponsored by Tides Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
CONTACT US
general@vietrise.org
(714) 589-5496
14351 Euclid St. #1M, Garden Grove, CA 92843