In the US, legal immigrants can, after a waiting period of 5 years, apply for "naturalization" to become US citizens. Like the people at left (photo source: US Citizenship and Immigration Services), they take the oath and become citizens like their neighbors born in the United States. But do they vote like their native-born fellow citizens?
Think of the choice this year: Senator Barack Obama, son of a Kenyan and a Kansan, first generation American who looks like, well, many of the people taking the oath, versus Senator John McCain, third generation military brat. Beyond complexion, you have compelling stories: former POW in Vietnam versus son of single mother raised in Indonesia and Hawaii, with family members as far afield as Kenya. With increasing numbers of hyphenated-Americans, Obama's story is very familiar. In California alone, close to 300,000 people were sworn in this year.
Much has been said about how Barack Obama's stunning victory has been due to the black vote, the youth vote, the women's vote - all undoubtedly true. But when the tallies are finalized and broken down, I'd be very interested in seeing the analysis of the vote of new Americans. Naturalized Americans, along with Latino and Asian voters, have been estimated at some 15 million by the Center for Community Change.
"Change" means many things to many people, but to these new Americans from places as far apart as Azerbaijan and Zambia, Barack Obama's election is the best illustration of the hope that America still represents to the world.