ERIC CHIING WINS JUDGEMENT FOR CALIFORNIA BALLOT DESIGNATION
Walnut, CA (September 28, 2022) – Eric Ching (秦振國) is pleased to announce the recent ruling in favor of the Eric Ching for congress committee compelling the registrars of voters for Los Angeles and Orange counties to include Petitioner’s character-based name (identified as 秦振國) on the Chinese language ballot and ballot materials (including the Chinese-language voter information guide and any other records the registrars deem pertinent) for the November 2022 General Election for the 38th Congressional District.
On Tuesday, September 20th, the Eric Ching for Congress committee received a call from the Los Angeles Registrar’s office to advise the committee that the candidate’s Mandarin name (秦振國), which is the candidate’s name since birth, as well as the name used on the primary election ballot in Los Angeles County, would be replaced to a phonetic spelling the Secretary of State had selected (埃里克J程 ).
Eric Ching for Congress was a successful candidate in the June 7, 2022, primary election for the 38th Congressional district. In that election, his name appeared the same way on the ballot as he has used it for at least 30 years, including how he used it for 10 years on the Walnut city council, a position to which he was elected in 2012, 2016, and 2020 using the name written as follows: 秦振國.
On September 20, 2022, however, the Los Angeles County Registrar’s Office notified the committee that they would print Eric Ching’s name on the Mandarin Chinese version of the November 8, 2022, general election ballot using a phonetic transliteration created by the California Secretary of State. The Los Angeles County Registrar provided the following incorrect spelling 埃里克J程, stating that the same miswritten name would possibly be used by the Orange County registrar.
The committee spent a day and a half working with the Los Angeles County Registrar, Orange County Registrar, and Secretary of State to correct this issue to no avail, the committee then filed an emergency Writ of Mandamus on Thursday, September 22nd in accordance with and inclusive of Elections Code section 13211.7(b) to protect the committee as well as the voters. The issue, if not corrected, would cause confusion, and affect tens of thousands of Chinese voters in Los Angeles and Orange County.
Through God’s grace and negotiations, on Sunday, September 26th, the Deputy State Attorney contacted the committee through its attorney wishing to settle.
On Monday, September 27th, the committee reached an agreement with the Attorney General’s office and filed a Stipulation for Entry of Final Judgement. The judge ruled in favor of the committee and signed the agreement.
The committee wishes to thank the California Secretary of State, the Attorney General’s Office, the Los Angeles County Registrar’s Office, and the Orange County Registrar’s Office for working together to protect the committee and the public.
