YALLA VOTE ‘08 Our Voice. Our Future.

The Florida primary election is August 26th. There are plenty of local offices being decided, and candidates for national elections. Early Voting has already ended yesterday - the official Primary Election Day is August 26th.

Be prepared when you get to the polling location! Check out the Florida Division of Elections homepage at http://election.dos.state.fl.us/ to find voting locations and other information. And remember, if you’ve never voted before in Florida, you will need to show some form of ID. You can also call the Voter Assistance hotline at 1-866-308-6739 with questions.

Why are you still sitting there reading this?  Yalla VOTE!

-Mia

AAI is all set for the DNC Convention in Denver, Colorado. Not only are we hosting the “Comedy Kabob” on Monday night, but our staff will be there to cover the events and make sure our voices are heard, loud and clear. AAI President James Zogby is a superdelegate and has already given testimony to the DNC’s 2008 Platform Committee on issues affecting the Arab American Community.

If you haven’t already gotten your tickets, time is running out - the 9 pm show is already sold out! You can reserve tickets, see event details, find parking information and more by clicking here. Keep an eye on the event listings at the DNCC too, because there are other groups putting on relevant events that promise to be interesting.

If you won’t be in Denver then we’ll see you the next week in Minneapolis. Stay tuned for more updates and information.

This past weekend in Cleveland, Yalla Vote Ohio held a Civic Empowerment Workshop at the Beit Hanina Social Club, an endorsing organization of the Yalla Vote ‘08 campaign. The event turned out really well, thanks in great part to our numerous excellent speakers.

Find out who came and read more about the workshop… Read the rest of this entry »

David-Imad Ramadan has been a Republican activist since he moved to Washington, DC in 1989. Over the last twenty years, he has worked on every presidential campaign on the Republican side and has been involved in several gubernatorial and senatorial campaigns. He is currently the Precinct Captain and Outreach Chair for Loudoun County Republicans, and is involved with the Republican Party of Virginia, the Arab American Coalition for McCain, and the Lebanese American Coalition for McCain.

Read more about David-Imad Ramadan, find out where he gets his enthusiasm for the Republican party, and what he thinks about the upcoming elections.

Middle East Times just published an editorial on AAI’s Yalla Vote campaign, saying “more than 50 Arab American organizations have rallied in efforts to “educate, empower and engage Arab Americans in the political process,” in what AAI predicts will be ‘a historic election day.’”

Read the full editorial here and don’t forget to keep us in the loop about what you or your organization is doing to get involved in the upcoming election.

With all the media attention on Obama and McCain, sometimes we forget that voting means more than just selecting our next Commander in Chief. In the American three branch system, who we put into the legislature is just as important as the executive and judicial branches. They all have to work together to make changes. Moreover, for many Americans, who is in local offices has just as much of an impact on their lives as who is at the top.

Although the Presidential Preference Primary in Florida has passed, there are still other candidates to decide on in many Congressional Districts throughout the state. In the eighth district, there are seven candidates, five democrats and two republicans. Many other districts throughout the state also need to decide who their candidates for the General Election will be.

If you are not registered to vote in Florida, or you would like to change your party affiliation to vote in the Primary Election, the deadline to do so is July 28. The Primary Election will be held on August 26, 2008.

Between now and then, I recommend checking out the Florida Division of Election’s website to check out the candidates in your area. And remember, this is OUR voice, OUR future.

From grass roots to grass top, from local elections to the presidential campaigns, Arab Americans are making their voices heard. The Arab American Institute’s Yalla Vote campaign hosted an incredibly successful Kabob-BQ in Virginia on the last Saturday in July, with an amazing turnout from Arab Americans and local and national campaigns.

The event gave Arab Americans in Virginia an opportunity to directly interact with local—and national— campaigns. Keith Fimian, Republican candidate for Virginia’s 11^th District, asked attendees how he can better serve his Arab American constituents, and paid close attention to the issues that are important to us. We gave Fimian a copy of our Declaration, and impressed upon him the importance of speaking to our issues.

We were even more thrilled when the GOP and the McCain campaign sent the Chair of the Virginia Republican Party on their behalf. Accompanying him was Arab American David-Iman Ramadan. We are all delighted to see the Republican Party give our community much deserved attention.

Let us keep reminding the candidates that our community is an important component in any strategy to win. Both parties must listen — our voices must be heard.

This has been a busy and exciting weeek here in Michigan – Tuesday was our big Yalla Vote Rally at the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn with AAI President, Jim Zogby. After two weeks of careful planning and some last minute preparations (including an order of 10 pounds of tabouli!), the event was successful. Around 50 people were in attendance, including local leaders of various Arab American organizations—many of which are Yalla Vote endorsers—elected officials and candidates, along with community friends and AAI supporters. The crowd gathered in the beautifully decorated main hall of the museum, mingled, discussed their get-out-the-vote plans for the upcoming Michigan state primary elections, and enjoyed delicious Lebanese mezze.

Dr. Zogby, who flew in from D.C. that morning, spoke about the importance of getting out the vote in the state primary on Tuesday August 5^th. Looking back twenty-five years when AAI was founded, said Zogby, the Arab American community has come a long way. Indeed, at least in southeast Michigan, and particularly in Dearborn, Arab Americans are an integral part of the community, and the gathering of leaders and community members on Tuesday was evidence of that fact.

The evening also featured State Rep. Barb Farrah and Councilwoman Suzane Sareini who spoke about the impact of Arab Americans in the state legislature. Many influential Arab American leaders got their start by running for precinct delegates.

As Michigan’s general voter turn-out is expected to be dismally low on August 5^th, Yalla Vote volunteers are busy taking to the streets with flyers and calling up their neighbors to replace apathy with action and to make our voices heard come August 5^th—and beyond.

Florida in July is hot, and Yalla Vote is heating it up even more this summer! With so many ways to get involved this July, you may need to sit in front of the fan just to read this!

Platform Plank Events

Remember when we said that this was OUR VOICE, and OUR FUTURE? Well, Obama and the GOP are putting that to the test by letting the people get involved in the platform writing process. Want to host an event in Florida? Contact Community Relations and me! There are directions on the AAI website that make it very easy to get involved! Want to take part in an existing event in your city? E-mail me at aai-florida@yallavote.org for the latest Florida information.

Sign the Declaration

Chances are, if you’re reading this you’ve already signed the Declaration, but if not, click here to sign it now! And of course, forward it along!

Register to Vote

Here in Florida, the last day to register to vote in the primary election on August 26^th is July 28^th. You can find all the information about elections at the Florida Division of Elections’ website.

Attend a local party meeting

So you’re already registered to vote, holding or attending a plank event, and you’ve gotten the Declaration around to everyone you know? Do some research on your local Democrat or Republican club and go to a meeting. Be sure to let AAI know, and take pictures!

Some links to local political parties follow below. For the most part they meet once a month, and have other events throughout the month.

Volunteer

If we want to make our voices heard, we can’t do it alone! Volunteers are so important to getting the Yalla Vote message out to the community! Whether you have an hour a week or twenty, there is something you can help with! E-mail me at aai-florida@yallvote.org for more information about volunteering - or if you’re not in Florida, e-mail your local organizer!

However you choose to make your voice heard this election, remember, YALLA VOTE!

-Mia

Read the rest of this entry »

As I had mentioned in an earlier post, I met with the Lakewood Democratic Club a few weeks ago to let them know about Yalla Vote and are initiative to get more Arab Americans involved in the political process. Today I had the opportunity to meet with the Rocky River Republican Club, another suburb of Cleveland that has a high Arab American population. I was given the opportunity to speak to the entire group about the mission of Yalla Vote, the importance of the Arab American vote, and the need for both parties to actively reach out to the Arab American community. Everyone in the group was very receptive and interested in what we’re doing not only in Ohio but throughout the country and very curious about the roles that Arab Americans have played in politics. I even met representatives for a few candidates for local office in Cuyahoga County as well as some of the candidates themselves who came to the meeting to speak to the group. Overall it was a very positive experience and I hope to encourage members of the Cleveland area Arab American community to get involved in both parties this year when it is most important.

Yalla Vote!