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Santa Ana Families for Fair Elections (SAFFE) is a coalition of community organizations and residents in Santa Ana dedicated to fostering belonging among Santa Ana communities, bolster democratic inclusion, encourage civic engagement, and improve community resources. We believe all residents of voting age regardless of immigration status should be able to participate in local elections.
Our Campaign
Santa Ana is home to the largest share of noncitizen residents in Orange County. However, these residents remain unable to make their voices heard at the ballot box despite comprising core parts of the local community. We are calling on the Santa Ana City Council to end the political exclusion of noncitizens and expand local voting rights in city elections to the many noncitizen residents of Santa Ana.
Nearly one out of every four residents living in the City of Santa Ana are noncitizen residents. Out of the City of Santa Ana’s 31,611 Asian adult residents, 5,646 (17.86%) are noncitizens. 64,022 (37.02%) of the City’s 172,962 Hispanic adult residents are noncitizens. Yet, this large share of the community is not able to make their voices heard at the ballot box despite their lives being immediately impacted by municipal government.
Click Here for Harbor Institute’s Fact Sheet on Noncitizen Voting
Belonging
Voting is a cornerstone of civic life. To cultivate inclusion of immigrant communities and a strong sense of belonging, we seek to enfranchise the nearly one out of every four local residents who currently do not have access to the ballot box. We are organizing to ensure all immigrants regardless of immigration status are included in the democratic process.
Civic Engagement
Expanding the vote opens up a key tool for local residents to participate in political processes and widen their breadth of political participation. By extending voting rights to more local residents, we can foster civic engagement in and outside of elections.
Democratic Inclusion
People should have a say in matters that affect them. It remains undemocratic to exclude local residents from voting for elected officials who make critical decisions on issues that directly affect residents’ daily lives.
Improving Community Benefits
When community members have more avenues to be engaged, they are able to better advocate for improved and equitable distribution of resources to meet community needs.
To be announced soon.
The Harbor Institute is dedicated to advancing a progressive immigrant and economic justice agenda and political transformation throughout Orange County via strategic movement building, research and policy development, and advocacy. We serve as a resource for powerbuilding organizations, grassroots leaders, and policymakers who are committed to long-term, county-wide structural transformations that advance justice and solidarity among working-class immigrant and refugee communities.
