Tran: Voting is an important part of protecting democracy

We are days away from one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime and what many may not realize is that the federal government has tried to control the outcomes of the 2026 elections for more than a year.

For California, this effort began on Sept. 25, 2025 when the U.S. Department of Justice sued to force the state to hand over all of its voter rolls. Our mission of empowering immigrant communities includes registering, educating and getting immigrants to vote. With the federal government terrorizing immigrant communities, giving it the personal information of every registered voter in California was unfathomable. Combined with all other data the federal government was trying to compile, it could expand its lists of immigrants and dissidents to pursue.

To combat this, SIREN, along with the NAACP and represented by Elias Law Group, intervened so that we could help defend against the DOJ lawsuit and protect the rights of all California voters.

Once we intervened, we immediately sought to dismiss the lawsuit because the federal government had no authority whatsoever to force California to hand over its voter rolls. In January, Judge David Carter granted our motion to dismiss, stating that “the DOJ is on a nationwide quest to gather the sensitive, private information of millions of Americans for use in a centralized federal database.”

The case has not yet resolved because the DOJ appealed. However, the same effort was picked up this past May by Judicial Watch, a conservative organization that has sued California for other causes. We intervened here as well. This case is still active.

Then DOJ sued California again on Oct. 15. This time, the DOJ sought to force California to set aside the ballots of 20,000 voters that it suspects of being noncitizens. In filing this lawsuit, DOJ itself admits that there may be citizens on its list, but still wants to prevent these ballots from being counted anyway. We sought to intervene again the very next day.

All of this is happening as ICE increases enforcement operations across California.

ICE secretly launched a surge in the Central Valley in early October, detaining more than 100 people in days. Here in Santa Clara County, ICE is racially profiling and questioning people who leave our jails, including county staff. DOJ launched an operation arresting 11 people accused of voter fraud and announcing charges against 28 people for the same accusation, even though some of those targeted are not even being charged with actually voting. There can be no doubt that these operations are intended to sway election results, either through intimidation and fear, feeding those who support mass deportations, or both.

SIREN has stood alongside numerous other community organizations to challenge these actions across the state. We will continue to do so. Thousands of our county residents have joined the Rapid Response Network to protect our communities. Thousands of our residents have marched against federal overreach. All of these efforts are for nothing if Californians do not vote. We cannot succumb to fear or apathy when the federal government is actively seeking to subjugate us.

This is your reminder of what is at stake in this election. We are fighting to protect our democracy. This is also our ask that you cast your vote with your friends and neighbors who cannot in mind. Approximately 25 million naturalized citizens are eligible to vote, accounting for more than 1 in 10 eligible voters nationwide.

Your vote, particularly if you are an immigrant or even if you are not, ensures that American democracy reflects the experiences, priorities and contributions of its people, but only if you vote. Remember that in a democracy, the people get the government they deserve.

Huy Tran is executive director of SIREN, the Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network.