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Friend,
Election day is almost over but I wanted to reach out at this time with a quick note of gratitude for all you have done and for your support of our work. Like you, we are all watching the returns, but we are also fielding calls to our Yalla Vote Arabic/English hotline (844-YALLA-US) and monitoring election protection issues nationally.
In the coming hours, days, and even weeks there may be attempts to call the vote, the counting of the vote, and the outcome of the vote into question. AAI has been tracking and responding to the extensive disinformation campaigns targeting our community [[link removed]] during this election cycle. We ask you to turn to your trusted news sources and learn how to spot election disinformation for yourself [[link removed]] .
We also know how hard this election has been for all of us. For the first time ever, Yalla Vote’s election resource page led with the following [[link removed]] :
This is not a normal election for our country or our community. From an increase in political violence to uncertainty about individual candidates accepting the outcome of the election, the threats to our democracy are real. The continued mainstreaming of hate and bigotry by some candidates and policymakers is also felt across communities. What is also very real is the pain felt by knowing American policies have enabled the genocide in Gaza and the expansion of the devastating attacks into the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Lebanon. Arab American voters are facing a distressing choice in 2024.
No matter who wins tonight, with your help, we have worked hard to protect our democracy from the threats it is facing, our community from the repression we are experiencing, and to challenge the policies of war and genocide that continue to devastate people in the region. And just like our Arab American Vote 2024 poll [[link removed]] that allowed you to speak for yourself on the issues that matter most, our just-released poll of American voters [[link removed]] lays out a policy framework for the next President that will save lives . Our poll found a majority of Harris voters (65%) and a plurality of Trump voters (45%) believe the U.S. should comply with our laws and not provide unrestricted assistance to the Israeli government if it continues to put civilian lives at risk. Those are policies we can and will work for, no matter who wins, no matter who controls Congress. The American public is with us because we are on the right side of justice.
After you take a deep breath, we have two immediate post-election plans I want to share with you.
First, please join us this Thursday, November 7, at 12pm ET/9am PT for a special post-election analysis session [[link removed]] to hear leading experts analyze the election and its impact on domestic and foreign policy, the state of American democracy, and next steps to support Palestinian human rights. Jim will be joining me as we host Foundation for Middle East Peace President Lara Friedman, former WSJ Executive Washington Editor Gerald Seib, and AAI board member and pollster John Zogby. I hope you can join us.
Second, while all eyes have been on the Arab American vote in Michigan during this election—and for good reason—we also want to highlight other communities with sizable Arab American populations. We want to raise awareness of the full diversity, including geographical, of the Arab American vote [[link removed]] . With that in mind, we have already started our analysis of key Arab American precincts in Michigan and nationally. We'll publish our results as soon as we have the full returns. You can check out some of the precincts we are watching here [[link removed]] .
Tomorrow, November 6, we will go right back to work. We will focus on our priorities for the lame-duck session. We will continue to build our community’s capacity, while also fighting for those most vulnerable in our country today. We will continue to combat hate and oppose policies fueled by hate. And we will continue to fight for the end of wars in the Arab world and for Palestinian liberation.
For our team who typically work Election Day like an inspiring holiday, none of us are going to Election Day parties after the polls close. The pain of the last year prevents it from being that kind of election. But I just wanted you to know we are here with you—and for the long haul.
In solidarity,
Maya
Maya Berry
Executive Director
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