Statement from the Korean American Coalition-Los Angeles on Los Angeles County's Sample Ballot Mistake Affecting the Korean American Community

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Joon Bang
(213) 365-5999
joon@kacla.org

On March 21, 2017, a Korean American senior citizen, surnamed Park, recognized that her Korean language version of the Congressional District 34 Special Primary election sample ballot listed the candidates in the wrong order. "I was concerned because the information on the Korean language sample ballot was different from the English version and that other voters may be facing the same problem as me," said Park. 

The Korean American Coalition (KAC) reached out to the Los Angeles County Registrar's office and held a press conference today to openly address the mistake and provide remedy to the issue. Brenda Duran, the Public Information Officer from the Registrar's office explained that its vendor had mislabeled the Korean version on a "stack" of sample ballots and is in the process of investigating the problem. The Registrar's office will be mailing bilingual clarification letters immediately to inform our community members and invite concerned voters to contact its office hotline at 562-462-3066.
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"KAC will make every effort to ensure that the Los Angeles County Registrar's office quantifies for public record the amount of mislabeled sample ballots sent to our Korean American community and ensure that each of the citizens affected are alerted of the mistake," said Joon Bang, Executive Director of KAC. "We need to pay special attention to the fact that this is an election taking place on the federal level. It's disappointing because of the importance of this race and that this mistake is only affecting the Korean American community. During the press conference, the Registrar's representative also acknowledged that a mistake like this, in her recollection, has never happened in LA County until now," said Bang.

If you have any doubt regarding your sample ballot or vote cast by mail, please contact the County Registrar's office hotline or the KAC office at 213-365-5999. If you have not taken advantage of your vote by mail or have not considered voting in this special election, we urge you to vote on April 4, so that our voice may be heard. 

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Educate | Embrace | Empower
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Korean American Coalition-Los Angeles (KAC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1983 to promote the civic and civil rights interests of the Korean American community. KAC endeavors to achieve these goals through education, community organization, leadership development, and coalition-building with diverse communities. ​