Election Year 2024 – A Conversation with Christina T. Lê, Political Section Chief at the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City

We all know that 2024 is a presidential election year in the United States.  Who makes sure the election runs smoothly?  

Election Day is Tuesday, November 5^th all over the United States, but each state manages its own election. This is a massive exercise in democracy involving more than 10,000 local U.S. authorities in one way or another. Global attention will be on the Electoral College, which will determine the winner of the presidential race, but it’s not the only election happening in 2024. There are hundreds of races for the U.S. House of Representatives, Senate, governorships, and state legislatures all over the country.   

Ms. Christina T. Lê, Political Section Chief at the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City

How does the Electoral College work? It’s confusing, even as an American.  

The simplest explanation is that when Americans cast their presidential vote, they’re choosing how their state’s Electoral College electors will vote. Those electors then cast their vote for the candidate who won the most votes in their state (except for in Maine and Nebraska, where electoral votes awarded match the proportion of votes a candidate won). The number of a state’s electoral votes is determined by the sum of its representatives and senators. More populous states have more electoral votes.  

Why have an Electoral College anyway? 

The Electoral College resulted from compromises that states made in the earliest days of U.S. democracy. Southern leaders feared that more populous northern states would have too much voting power and threaten their interests, such as maintaining the institution of slavery. Others worried that most voters didn’t have enough information or education to choose the president – this was long before the days of the Internet, and most voters were uneducated. Electing the president indirectly through Electoral College was the solution that the political leaders at that time agreed upon.  

But the U.S. Constitution was drafted in the late 1700s. Why does the Electoral College still exist today? 

The Electoral College is enduring proof that U.S. democracy is built on compromise. Changing it requires a constitutional amendment, which only happens with the agreement of two-thirds of the House and Senate and three-quarters of all state legislatures. That’s a high bar!  

It doesn’t mean things won’t look different in the future. Remember, only six percent of Americans were eligible to vote in the first U.S. election. Women did not win the right to vote until 1920. Asian Americans did not get full voting rights until 1965. I don't think that’s anyone’s definition of "fair.” Democracy is always a work in progress, but the ability of citizens to adapt their democratic system over time is its greatest strength.  

Is voter fraud a big issue? 

There have been very few cases of confirmed voter fraud, thanks in large part to the transparency of U.S. elections. Independent journalists have full access to candidates, state electoral officials, and polling places. Every state election authority publicizes its vote counts on Election Day. Voter registration lists are carefully checked against lists in other states to ensure nobody votes more than once.  

Nevertheless, federal and state authorities take allegations of voter fraud extremely seriously. After the 2020 elections, there were investigations in numerous states, none of which found any evidence of fraud. This is remarkable given that more than 155 million Americans voted that year – a record high.  

What happens if a candidate does not accept the results of the election? 

The peaceful transition of power remains a hallmark of U.S. democracy. There have been notable exceptions throughout U.S. history, of course, including the attack on the U.S. Capitol in January 2021. However, these remain isolated examples and do not represent the vast majority of Americans who participate peacefully and accept the election results.  

As Vietnamese American yourself, what do you make of the relative importance of Vietnamese Americans in U.S. elections? 

Vietnamese Americans are one of the fastest-growing groups in the United States. We’re concentrated in key states like California and Texas, the two biggest prizes in the Electoral College, as well as “swing states” like Georgia, which have the closest races and that candidates from both major parties believe they can win. This means that all candidates, especially those running for seats in Congress or state legislatures, must pay close attention to the issues that Vietnamese Americans care about.   

Do Vietnamese Americans usually vote the same way? 

Vietnamese Americans reflect the diversity of political beliefs in the United States. Like other communities in the United States, we are not a monolith. Recent polls show Vietnamese Americans are roughly split between support for the two major parties. Within the Vietnamese American community, there are differences in political beliefs based on factors such as age and geography. In my view, what’s more important than how Vietnamese Americans vote is supporting everyone’s access to and participation in the electoral process.  

What do you mean by participation? 

Participation in our democracy encompasses more than the individual act of voting. It involves engaging in the democratic process so that all viewpoints are represented in our laws and policies. That could mean attending local town halls to learn about issues directly impacting your community or sending letters on issues of concern to your Congressional representative. It also means helping other community members who may have difficulty accessing candidate or electoral information. Seemingly minor acts can have a major impact, like translating voter registration documents from English into Vietnamese or helping elderly people get to polling places on Election Day. Nonpartisan, grassroots organizations like the Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) dedicate themselves to mobilizing this kind of civic engagement and helping Vietnamese Americans and other communities understand their fundamental democratic rights in the United States. 

Democracy is participatory by definition. Even American citizens living overseas can, and should, participate. To the thousands of American citizens living in Vietnam, I encourage you to exercise your Constitutional right by ensuring you’re registered to vote and getting involved in the 2024 elections. Every vote counts!