Wayne Yeh, 26, of Jamaica Plain is one of two LGBTQ electors who represented Massachusetts in yesterday’s Presidential Electoral College vote. He is also one of three people of color among the state’s 11 electors.
Yeh, a Boston City Council policy and research analyst, told Jamaica Plain News he focused on American Studies for his undergrad at Tufts University and has been a grassroots community organizer ever since 2012, focusing on civic action and electoral work through the Chinese Progressive Political Action and Right to the City VOTE. He cast his electoral vote for President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice-President-Elect Kamala Harris.
In a Q&A with JP News prior to his vote, Yeh spoke of his experience and what it meant to him:
Q: Each Massachusetts elector is chosen by the winning party’s state committee. But how did the state committee choose you as an elector?
Yeh: Although I have been increasingly involved in progressive political efforts over the years, the 2016 Democratic Presidential Primary inspired me to personally get involved in the formal Democratic Party structure. I found that voices and experiences like mine –younger folks, Asian American, LGBTQ+, children of immigrants and refugees, first-generation to attend college, et cetera – typically are not represented in both elected office and in the party itself. I decided to become more involved in the Democratic Party because I’m determined to help the party better engage working-class people of color, particularly Asian Americans as a critical voting bloc. …
Q: Let’s say something comes over you, or you’re possessed, and choose to vote for someone else. Are you required to vote for President-elect Joe Biden?
Yeh: Massachusetts does not currently have a “faithless elector” law. However, I signed a pledge with the Massachusetts Democratic Party that I am committed to casting my vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. While there are 11 electors, there are also two alternates. If an elector indicates that they may cast their vote for someone other than the party’s nominee, it’s possible that they would be replaced by an alternate.
Q: Why do you want to vote for President-elect Joe Biden?
Yeh: I’m looking forward to casting my vote to reflect the popular vote results of both Massachusetts and the entire country. Although I supported a different candidate in the presidential primary, I’m committed to building party unity and strength for the progressive wing, particularly the voices of young Democrats. Above all, I’m most looking forward to casting one of the official votes that ultimately removes Donald Trump from office.
Q: What else would you like to share about yourself, being an elector, or anything else?
Yeh: I believe that the electoral college should be abolished. I ran to be an elector to demystify and find out more about the institution and the inner workings of our “representative democracy.” We knew who won the presidential election by national popular vote weeks ago. It should be a done deal already, but it’s not, because we don’t have a direct democracy to elect the president. …
There are a few ways to enact a national popular vote for president: 270-by-2024 (nationalpopularvote.com) is an effort to initiate a National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which is an agreement between states that hold a majority of electoral votes to give their votes to the winner of the national popular vote. This is an electoral college reform (not abolishment) that maintains representative democracy, and the electoral college, in an effort to ensure the result reflects the national popular vote. I think the compact is a good idea in the short term, but should only be a means to an end because it maintains the electoral college in a representative democracy and does not institute a direct democracy of and by the people to elect the highest office in our country.
Read the complete interview here.
Not a subscriber? Sign up today for a free subscription to Boston Spirit magazine, New England’s premier LGBT magazine. We will send you a copy of Boston Spirit 6 times per year and we never sell/rent our subscriber information. Click HERE to sign up!
