Despite not being a citizen of the United States, a Chinese immigrant was sworn in to serve on the San Francisco Election Commission, prompting some concerns regarding national security as one U.S. senator had previously cautioned that Chinese President Xi Jinping is playing the "long game.”
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On February 14th, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously selected Kelly Wong, an immigrant rights activist who arrived in the U.S. from Hong Kong in 2019 to pursue doctoral studies.

After a ballot initiative to remove the citizenship barrier to serve on San Francisco boards was adopted by California voters in 2020, she is thought to be the first non-citizen to hold a commission position.

"There are always voices inside my head, like ‘You can’t do it. You’re not competent. You’re an immigrant. This is not your country,’” Wong said.

"If I can do it, you can do it,” she added.

Wong, who is not allowed to vote, is one of seven individuals in her new role who will supervise and carry out the Department of Elections’ policies.

She will be in charge of voter registration, mail-in ballots, polling areas, and election monitoring.
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