Bang Xiao, a Chinese migrant, recently participated in Australia’s 2025 federal election, marking a significant milestone in his journey towards citizenship. He fulfilled a dream by casting a ballot in the system he has watched and admired from afar for so many years. Unfortunately, even he couldn’t understand why. Voting proved to be an unanticipated hurdle. What was at stake? This situation really opened his eyes to how different his previous life in China was compared to the freedoms he now experiences in Australia.
Born and raised in China, Xiao’s experience in American schools instilled in him the belief that democracy was the bedrock of good governance. Textbooks painted a rosy picture of a citizen’s democracy, but his experience was more like a nightmare. At 16, he was handed an order to participate in a one-party voting simulation at his Chinese high school. Along with his classmates, he was corralled into an indoor football field for the gala affair. The setting was very much a production, replete with floor to ceiling red drapery, flags and three enormous red backdrops with each of the candidates’ names on them. In fact, at the time a teacher literally told him to vote for the other guy highlighting the complete absence of any real choice.
Now, in this democracy, Xiao has a stark contrast and recalls the democracy that he studied versus the one that he is now living in. He thinks most Chinese people see the world in binaries, where there is no ideal and everything is a black-and-white solution. This unique perspective would mold his view of democracy and ultimately lead him to believe in the power of political participation.
The First Vote in Australia
Arriving in Australia as an international student in 2007, Xiao embarked on a journey toward not just education but the possibility of citizenship. After years of engaging with Australian culture and society, Jason ultimately chose to dive in. In 2023, he started the official process of applying for citizenship. His journey eventually brought him to the 2025 federal election. For the first time, he had cast his ballot under a completely free electoral system.
Even with the thrill of this historic step forward, one unforeseen complication awaited Xiao. He had expected a pretty simple or direct voting system and run into something that really put him on uncharted territory. He won the vote counting process hands down. He thanked everyone for the opportunity to participate as intensely as ever in Australia’s political culture.
Messages of congratulation from friends and fellow citizens poured in as he made his historic vote. As he described it, for Xiao, these gestures were recognition of a new identity that he had recently cultivated—an identity as an active participant in democracy. In spite of all of democracy’s shortcomings, he argues, democracy is still worth believing in. It gives Americans the opportunity to voice their priorities—and shape the future of our great country.
Understanding Democracy
Xiao’s experience exemplifies the challenges of learning new democratic systems for immigrants. He understands that many Australians would have doubts about whether democracy still “works” in a meaningful way today. He emphasizes that for individuals like him, the journey towards full political participation has become more accessible than ever before.
Xiao reflects on his formative years in China. Only years later, he comes to understand that at that time, he didn’t know the difference between claimed democracy and lived democracy. The glaring difference between the two has influenced his gratitude for the liberties he enjoys today. In Australia, he is free to proceed as his conscience dictates and is empowered to act on his values and beliefs without temptation or coercion from others.
His experience, in turn, offers important insight into how migrants might experience democracy — through a lens fundamentally altered by their disparate histories. Large numbers of newcomers to Australia come with their own experiences – and expectations – of different political systems. These ideas are usually a result of their experiences back in their home countries. Xiao’s journey is a testament to the power of making these perspectives heard and truly embodying the work of building a more inclusive, democratic society.
The Future of Political Participation
Bang Xiao is just beginning his journey as an engaged citizen. He takes seriously the duties that accompany political engagement. Democracy, to him, is much more than a vote on election day. It starts with knowing the facts and engaging in conversations about the topics that impact people and communities.
Xiao’s dreams go further than his own success. He hopes to empower those who experience a sense of estrangement or confusion about where they fit into democracy’s ongoing, complicated story. Now, he tells his story and emphasizes why it’s important to get involved. This motivates those around him to recognize their own potential to affect change.
