Kelly Wong this month became what many believe to be the first noncitizen to be appointed to serve on the San Francisco Elections Commissions.
Supervisor and board president Aaron Peskin swore her in in front of dozens of supporters on Thursday, reported KQED.
She called it a “milestone for all immigrant and marginalized communities throughout SF.”
Voters in 2020 passed a measure that eliminated the requirement that a person must be a citizen to serve on commissions and boards, according to Just the News.
While Wong is not entitled to vote in most elections, she said the representation matters for all immigrants.
“I hope my appointment to the Elections Commission serves as a beacon of hope, showing that change is possible and your voices matter in policymaking. If I can do it, you can too,” she wrote on LinkedIn followed by a flexing muscle emoji.
Wong received her appointment after a unanimous vote by the Board of Supervisors. She works as an immigrant advocate for the non-profit, Chinese for Affirmative Action.
In 2016, voters passed proposition N which allows non-citizens to vote in school board races in San Francisco if they have a child going to school in the district.
“I think that we have to go beyond, ‘Are we doing the bare minimum to how we can get everyone fully involved?’” said Vincent Pan, co-executive director of Chinese for Affirmative Action.
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