Technology & Telecommunications
From Wi-Fi to the Ballot Box: Why Broadband Access is a Voting Rights Issue
By Nicole Morgenstern
With the election less than a week away and access to reliable election information more important than ever, what happens when communities lack internet access?
When our lives, from morning to night, revolve around access to the internet, the impact of not having broadband can be severe. Despite the constant connectivity many of us take for granted, millions of Americans still experience the digital divide. We can look to the popularity and success of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), a broadband subsidy program for low-income families, as a testament to this widespread issue: with over 23 million households enrolled at the time of its closing, this program underscores the need for greater access to affordable high-speed internet.
As election day quickly approaches, access to the internet is more important than ever. Yet, 17% of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) don’t have access to reliable high-speed internet at home. For communities without broadband, engaging in the voting process becomes more difficult and could deter voter participation.
Digital devices are the most common way Americans get their news, with a large majority of U.S. adults (86%) saying they “at least sometimes” get their news from a smartphone, computer, or tablet. However, for those without reliable internet, accessing up-to-date information about voter registration, polling locations, and deadlines can be challenging.
In the absence of reliable broadband connections, many AANHPIs rely on mobile phones for internet access. Those engaging with information about elections and candidates on mobile phones may be more likely to simply read headlines or quickly skim information, thus potentially missing critical context. Lateral reading, which involves opening several browser windows and looking for the same piece of information across several sources, and other media literacy practices also become difficult on a mobile device.
When communities are forced to rely on mobile devices, language access issues further exacerbate information vacuums that could lead to misinformation. More than one in three Asian Americans is limited English proficient (LEP), with English proficiency levels even lower across certain subgroups; for example, 61% of Chinese Americans over the age of 50 are LEP. In the absence of reliable internet access and/or credible fact-checked journalism available in their native tongues, some Asian Americans turn to social media, encrypted messaging applications (EMAs), and other alternative news sources for information about voting and politics.
EMAs popular with AANHPI communities such as WeChat, Kakao, WhatsApp, and LINE typically have limited content moderation mechanisms in place and are difficult for independent researchers and fact-checkers to access. Moreover, the intimate nature of these applications may create trust — even if this is unwarranted — between friends, family, and community members who sit in the same group chats. When someone sends a link containing misleading information about mail-in election ballots in a church group chat, for example, others might be more likely to believe this information is credible because of their relationship with this individual. Collectively, these various attributes of EMAs create fertile breeding ground for viral falsehoods and conspiracy theories to spread.
Internet access isn’t just for entertainment; it’s a lifeline to the world. Not only does a lack of reliable high-speed internet limit communities’ access to vital election information, but it hinders their ability to participate in the democratic process. By ensuring everyone has access to affordable high-speed internet, we can take meaningful steps towards closing the digital divide and ensuring that everyone has access to tools necessary to fully participate in our democracy.
Nicole Morgenstern is the Telecommunications, Technology, and Media Policy Manager at Advancing Justice | AAJC.
Advancing Justice | AAJC’s Telecommunications and Technology helps our diverse Asian American communities reap the benefits of technology while also protecting them from its potential harms.
