With exactly seven weeks to go until the election, the Arab American Institute would like to thank all the organizations who have not only endorsed the Yalla Vote ‘08 campaign but supported us and joined in our efforts to energize and engage the Arab American community this election season. Here is a summary of highlights from the spring and summer months.
The storm is swirling, and I’m not talking about down south. I’m talking about the political maelstrom swirling with just seven weeks before the election.
Got lies? They don’t wash off, as any kid who ever got splashed by a smear campaign in the seventh grade will tell you. The Washington Post has a small article in the A section today entitled, “The Power of Political Misinformation“.
The caption below the article’s illustration sums it all up neatly: “Studies showed misinformation could be damaging even after being debunked among those predisposed to buy into the bad information to begin with.”
Bottom line? Do your homework.
In remembrance of September 11, 2001
David Ramadan and Helen Samhan at the RNC
AAI caught up with David-Imad Ramadan at the Republican National Convention. David is Vice-Chair of Outreach to Arab & Muslim Americans for the Republican Party of Virginia, and is a great representative for our community. Al Jazeera English interviewed him, and here’s what he has to say about his role in his party:
“It is a two-way role that means educating the public about the Republican party and also educating the Republican party on the Arab-American and Muslim community on what we need from candidates in order to support them.”
Read the entire article here on the Al Jazeera English site.
Yalla Vote at the Islamic Center of Detroit!
We have been out and registering people to vote here in Michigan by hitting every mosque and church in town. On Friday, September 5th, 2008, Yalla Vote had a voter registration and information table at the Islamic Center of Detroit in Michigan. We registered new voters and reminded them about how important it is to make our voices heard this November. Hassan Abraham assisted me in registering people and also getting signatures for the National Declaration.
Everyone was excited about the Yalla Vote Campaign and appreciated us being there and expressed gratitude. Many young people were present and wanted to be a part of our upcoming events in Michigan.
Three young people , Walid Ali, Suheib Bukhatmi, Mohamed Al-Jabbery, offered to help us with voter registration and also expressed interest in volunteering for their candidate of choice. This election is crucial and we will be registering more people to vote to increase Arab American participation . If you know a church or mosque we haven’t been at in Michigan, contact me via e-mail at aai-Michigan@yallavote.org and let us know!
-Jana
Last weekend I had the pleasure of taking a state-wide tour to meet with volunteers, activists, NPC, and ALC members. The trip actually began on Thursday, when Maram Abdelhamid met with the Ramallah Club in Jacksonville.
Friday morning, I headed up to Jacksonville, where we met with Dierdre Connor from the Florida Times Union, who was interviewing Yalla Vote for a diversity piece. That piece was featured in the paper on Tuesday. James Bajalia also met us at the newspaper. After lunch, we met up with Robin Rukab-Azzam and Edna Saffy for tea and some discussion. We also met with Adrian Soud, an Arab American running for judge in Jacksonville. From these meetings, we began planning a candidate night for Jacksonville.
In Orlando, we met with Janan Alawar-Smither and attorney Mark NeJame.
And then it was off to Miami! Unfortunately there were no Will Smith videos being shot, but I think I drove everyone nuts saying “Bienvenido a Miami.” We met with Elizabeth Ayoub in Miami Beach. Then we headed up to Broward County to meet with Ammal Elhaddad and Farooq Mitha from the Center for Voter Advocacy. We also met with Darlene Corey and Toufic Zakharia from MEAPA and talked about voter registration strategies. We are also planning a candidate night in Miami.
Florida is chock-full of Arab Americans running for office, in high positions, and activists ready to make a change.
That being said, make sure you’ve signed the National Declaration, and that we have your contact information to find out about the latest with our candidate nights… And keep an eye out at your local Masjid or Church for Yalla Vote voter registration drives. If you are interested in holding a voter registration drive at your local Masjid, Church, or even Arabic grocery store, send me an e-mail at aai-florida@yallavote.org and we’ll work out the details.
So until next time, I’ll be trying to eat all the oranges I bought driving around the state… There’s nothing like a Florida orange!
-Mia
After a blogging hiatus for a 2 week Jury Duty stint, and some beginning of school/ LSAT prep madness, I have returned to update everyone on the happenings in the world of Yalla Vote New York. As you know, the congressional primaries are fast approaching, and the 13th District will choose its candidate tomorrow, September 9th.
As the Yalla Vote Field Organizer in New York, I have had the opportunity and the privilege to interact with the major players in the race for the 13th District. All of the candidates are out in full force looking for votes, and trying to pick up the pieces left over from the Vito Fosella scandal, which rocked the 13th District, and upset the balance of what has historically been a Republican-leaning voting population. Among the hopefuls are Steve Harrison (D), Michael McMahon (D), and Jamshad Wyne (R), all of whom I have had an opportunity to connect with. In particular I have had conversations with Mr. Wyne and Mr. Harrison about the importance of Arab American political involvement, and about the concerns of many Arab American voters.
-Matt
We’ve got more information for you, in addition to this Yalla Vote post outlining how to vote while living overseas (see “Overseas Voting Guidelines“).
First, there’s a great website to help you get registered and ready to vote: VoteFromAbroad.org. Vote from Abroad is a non-partisan website that will help you get out the vote, overseas style. Its easy, step-by-step interface will walk you through every requirement to register as an overseas voter, and request an absentee ballot form.
All this absentee balloting had us here at the Arab American Institute scratching our heads over a particular possibility: what if you hold dual citizenship, but have never lived in the United States? Our Government Relations Department has the answer…
From the U.S. Embassy in Stockholm, we get this sage advice:
There are sixteen states in the United States that allow U.S. citizens overseas to vote even if they have never resided in the U.S. If a citizen has never resided in the U.S. but has a parent who is eligible to vote in one these sixteen states, a citizen is eligible to vote at the same voting residence claimed by their parent (certain special provisions may apply, please see state specific information for more details.) The sixteen states consist of Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
If you are not from one of the states allowing such a practice, do not give up. It may be that you have a bank account, property, or membership in an organization in one of the states that does allow registration and absentee voting by such persons. Perhaps you visited one of the states allowing such registration and earned income there or obtained a driver’s license there, or developed some other tie to that state. You should provide as much pertinent information as possible as an attachment to the Federal Postcard Application (FPCA) when you send it in. The final decision will be up to the local election official.
The Federal Voting Assistance Program website (www.fvap.gov) spells it all out for you. Please visit their section of information for if you’ve Never Resided in the U.S.
Rashida Tlaib might be running for State Representative for the first time, but she’s no newcomer to the area or to the issues. Residents know her by name, she’s visited their homes on her door-to-door campaign, and she’s part of a growing group of those who work in “service politics”. A self-described “daughter of the community” and “product of the culturally vibrant community of Southwest Detroit”, Rashida Tlaib is looking to represent Michigan’s 12th District, the district she grew up in.
Recent Comments