Poll workers check in voters at Penn Elementary school in North Liberty on Nov. 5, 2024. (Photo by Jackson Miles for Iowa Capital Dispatch)
NORTH LIBERTY — Inside the small lunchroom of Penn Elementary School this Nov. 5, Beimeng Sun, 48, a Chinese immigrant, came to cast her vote to decide the fate of other immigrants like her, who may try to come to the United States in the future.
Sun said her decision to come out stems from her sense of duty to participate in the democratic process as she had not done so before in her home country of China.
“We are not personally affected,” Sun said. “But it’s critical to understanding that, hey, what are going to be the future paths forward, from the international relationship development in a global situation, not only for Asians, so like the Middle East regions.”
Her husband is an immigrant from Pakistan, so immigration is something she and her husband hear about quite often.
“I’ve heard some kind of discussion between them and how he was viewed,” she said. “And there’s also similar protesting going on since, you know, it didn’t go as people expected.”
Sun said her and her husband’s experiences between Pakistan, China and now the U.S. have been eye-opening for her to see the democratic process now that she is participating in it.
“It’s kind of nice to share what we see are the differences, you know how the system is working for us, I think it’s good too. It’s good experience,” she said.
Although Sun did not disclose who she voted for, she did mention that she spent time researching each candidate that was available on the ballot to find who aligns closest with her views.
“I looked at the sample they allowed before I came in. So, I did a little research understanding those candidates, some of those I’m not very familiar with.”
Sun, who became a U.S. citizen in 2008, didn’t vote until 2022 but still found that her congressional level elections were just as important as the presidential elections.
“It’s critical for the president to have a more global view,” Sun said, “to understand that the mutual interaction between countries and then the mutual goals to stabilize for global economization is going to be critical at the presidential level.”