A Chinese Watches Democracy In Action

A Chinese Watches Democracy In Action
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy greets volunteer James Mullarkey, 10, after voting at the Hartford Seminary. (David Butler II-Hartford Courant / Hartford Courant)

I lived in mainland China until I was 24 and never got the chance to vote for our government leaders or even meet my provincial governors. Average people in China don't vote for their political leaders.

This week, after living in this country for the past three years and getting my master's degree from the University of Missouri School of Journalism, I experienced the intensity of covering the U.S. midterm election for the first time. I talked to voters, non-voters, political candidates, poll workers and seniors. On Election Day, I even bumped into Gov. Dannel P. Malloy at Batchelder School, one of the polling places in Harford where the voting was extended from 8 p.m to 8:30 p.m. because the registrars failed to deliver voting lists on time Tuesday morning. The governor was busy meeting the late voters, taking pictures with them and thanking them for coming back to vote — not something that happens in China.


In a mature democracy, mistakes like missing voter lists still happen. But in younger democracies, the elections can be more dramatic and citizens more excited. Elections are like a festival in Ghana compared to West Hartford where the voting seemed very organized, said Rebecca Bakomora, 36, who immigrated from Ghana with Mathew Addai, 41. They were voting for the second time in the U.S. and brought their children, 1-year-old Rachel and 2-year-old Ruby.

I visited three towns in the Hartford area and had the same feeling as Rebecca about how smooth the voting process is, much less like how the American media portrayed it.

My first exposure to the idea of American elections was by reading Mark Twain's "Running for Governor" in my junior high school Chinese textbook. I thought of Twain's critique of American elections, which includes tales of incompetence, corruption and lies, as I watched the television news on Election Day.

When I read Twain's piece, I couldn't imagine voting. But, for average Americans, like my friends in Wethersfield and West Hartford, it is just a regular day of their life — nothing special. They voted and then went to work or back home. Some stayed up late to watch the results but others went to bed early as usual and waited till the next day to find out who won.

It's "a sacred right" for Americans to vote, as Gov. Malloy put it. He said he's never missed a vote, whether a primary or general election, since he was18.

Not everyone is so eager. In West Hartford I talked to Katie Captain, an 18-year-old senior at Hall High School, who was voting for the first time. She said she wouldn't have participated if her father Harry, a town council member, hadn't encouraged her. She doesn't read or talk about politics with her friends, Katie said, adding that her two older brothers have yet to vote.

Some people would probably argue it's also a sacred right for them not to vote, if they choose.

Americans do complain about the system, probably more publicly and critically than average Chinese citizens. One thing I did learn from living in both countries is that there's no perfect government system because there are no perfect people.

I talked to 68-year-old Peter Kuck, a conservative Republican of West Hartford, at a diner Thursday morning. He had a lot, mostly negative, to say about how the country's political parties have become more polarized during his grandparents', parents' and his generations.

The political landscape dramatically changed in China in the past century or so. It has shifted among autocracy, democracy and semi-democracy. I've seen trends toward developing a more democratic system in China during my generation. The Chinese President Xi Jinping has so far done a good job reducing activities such as clearing the roads for traveling politicians and cracking down on corruption at different government levels.

But just recently, there have also been protests against the central government's policies in Hong Kong. China has delivered economic growth and prosperity, but direct elections are still not in the cards for the government. That's to be determined, hopefully by the people themselves.

Miranda Zhang lives in Wethersfield and is a freelance reporter.