From the Ukraine to the U.S.: A New Citizen Contrasts the Vote in Two Lands

Jan. 12, 2005

Dennis Kotsekon, 27, immigrated from the Ukraine to America in 1996, and recently voted as an American
citizen for the first time in the elections here in Michigan.
Kotsekon is a field manager at Vinecare, a local vineyard maintenance company on Old Mission Peninsula. “I love being in hands-on work, and being close to nature,” Kotsekon said.
His job combines his love of science with his love of the earth. For generations, his family has been involved in the sciences in some way, but primarily from behind a desk. In the Ukraine, it is customary for entire families to all practice the same type of work, and their schooling encourages this. When Kotsekon came to the U.S. with his parents, they were supportive of his interest in wine making.


GREEN CARD WINNERS
The Kotsekons won a green card in an annual lottery, which rewards 50,000 immigrant families a year the ability to relocate to the U.S. The government provides certain other nations with green cards in order to stimulate immigration of their people, who represent a significant minority in the U.S..
There are several families in northern lower Michigan from the Ukraine, although not all won a lottery to get here. Some of them are sponsored by churches to relocate to the U.S. for better options. The population of Ukrainians in this area is higher than in most parts of the U.S.
In the Ukraine, the citizens of smaller communities or the ghetto cannot typically speak Americanized English, which can make resettlement difficult. In addition, Kotsekon said, the education system is very different than what’s in the U.S., making transfers of degrees and training complicated.
Kotsekon is from a city called Dniepropetrovsk, located “dead center” in the country. After his family moved to New Hampshire, Kotsekon came to Traverse City to pursue his interest in wine making. Shortly after his interview here, he returned to the Ukraine to visit his wife and family. Since he married after he got his green card, however, his wife cannot immigrate to the United States yet to live.

VOTE THE SAME DAY
Kotsekon was a U.S. citizen as of April 2004, and he recalls being excited about his opportunity to express his voice at the ballot box. After the election, however, he was not sure his vote counted nationally.
“I’m just not sure it made a difference,” Kotsekon said, “Yet it was an interesting process to be a part of. Voting in the U.S. and the Ukraine are just about the same. There’s only one slight difference; in the Ukraine we can register and vote on the same day.”
His wife still lives in the Ukraine, where she was similarly excited about her own vote in the Ukrainian election. She was a supporter of Viktor Yushchenko, who won the presidency against the Ukraine’s prime minister, Viktor Yanukovych. Yanukovych recently announced his withdrawal from his position, after accusing Yushchenko of polling fraud.
Until recently, control in the Ukraine has been under a Soviet Ukrainian government. Then an election in November showed pollsters voting in the democratic candidate, Yushchenko, even as official election results stated his opponent was president. This led to accusations of fraudulent voting techniques on both sides. The Ukrainian parliament opted for a re-vote, which they scheduled for December 26.

POISONING ATTEMPT
Despite an ongoing investigation into a poisoning attempt on Yushchenko, the Ukrainian election has been characterized by peaceful protests on both sides. Those that supported Yushchenko gathered at Independence Square in front of the cabinet building, camping out in “tent cities,” and wearing orange. Supporters of the incumbent prime minister wore white and blue scarves, and held rallies or marched to protest the election results.
The events were considered monumental in Ukrainian history. Voters were having their say, and the majority of their actions were organized and peaceful. Compromises were forced upon the current parliament by the citizens of their country, as they were able re-vote. The new election showed Yushchenko winning by a landslide, over two million votes in a country the size of Texas. Despite recent constitutional reforms passed by the parliament which restrict presidential power, the new president will still be able to push through reforms before the new laws take effect.
Oles Doniy, an Ukrainian political activist, said, “According to the election results, the national idea -- that is, for me, national self-realization -- embraced half of Ukraine’s population. Back in 1991, the referendum for independence was a mere compromise between the emerging national democracy and the old Soviet nomenklatura.” For many citizens, this is a time of change and emerging freedom for the Ukraine.

OUTDATED SYSTEMS
Yet the process of reform has been slow. Cities in the Ukraine are faced with inadequate sewage systems and other outdated systems still in use since the time of Soviet occupation. As the current cabinet waits to see the results of the election, the country suffers the turmoil of economic hardship that follows a temporarily uncertain government.
Kotsekon’s wife, Tatyana, was fired from her job because of her political support. “The bank (her employer) called everyone into the main office that was wearing orange, and they were all dismissed,” Kotsekon said.
He does not believe the firing would have happened this way in the U.S. “I know about the story of a woman who was recently fired from her job for being a Kerry supporter. But Kerry gave her a job,” he said. Tatyana is currently seeking employment. Her support for Yushchenko may improve her chances now that he is officially in office.
Kotsekon will be in the Ukraine for a few more months, and he will bring his wife to the U.S. for the first time to visit. He explained, “I am really looking forward to showing her Traverse City and the local area.”

Writer Faye Spinniken is a new intern at the Northern Express who has an interest in writing on issues relating to minorities.