One
of the biggest challenges facing Arab-American community organizers
this election season is ensuring voters don’t feel disenfranchised.
(Reuters)
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS.WASHINGTON
Arab-Americans make up a small
part of the American electorate, but they are fired up and organizing,
hoping to make an impact in the 2012 elections.
Community organizers face
obstacles like cultural divisions and a sheer lack of numbers, but some
think Arab-Americans could be an influential voting bloc, especially on
the local level.
High concentrations in states
where the contest between President Barack Obama and Republican
candidate Mitt Romney is expected to be tight means Arab-American voters
“are going to be important this election cycle,” said Emily Manna, head
of the Arab-American Institute’s “Yalla Vote,” or “Let’s Go Vote,”
initiative.
Yalla Vote organizes voters in
the District of Columbia and 10 states, including battlegrounds Florida,
Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan, states that have the highest
concentrations of Arab-Americans in the nation, according to Manna.
Some politicians, such as Rep.
Bill Pascrell, D-New Jersey, are reaching out to engage the
Arab-American community in their districts, “and that’s what we want
everywhere,” Manna said.
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