Spearheaded by the Arab American Institute's 'Yalla Vote Campaign' 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 "an historic election day."
"There is no doubt that this is the most exciting election in recent history; as we say the stakes have never been higher," James Zogby, president of AAI told the Middle East Times.
"Yalla Vote '08 is our most ambitious election year program to date. By using new technologies, new resources, and new coalitions, we hope to place our community and our concerns at the center of the national debate," said Zogby.
"Yalla" is Arabic for "let's go," "go on," "get a move on," or yet, "hurry up," depending how it is used.
To help get the "yalla" message across, the Arab American Institute has dispatched field organizers to California, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Virginia, and Ohio -- areas AAI deems as "battleground states." A very narrow margin is expected between the Republican's candidate, Arizona Senator John McCain, and the Democrat's presumptive nominee, Illinois Senator Barack Obama; and the Arabs can make a difference.
The Arab American vote in the states of Pennsylvania, Virginia and Michigan represent between 4 percent and 5 percent of the total votes, an ample margin to help push results one way or the other.
"We are not telling them who to vote for," said a spokeswoman for AAI. "We are telling them they need to get involved and learn how to get their voices heard. Arab Americans represent between 2.5 million and 2.8 million voters.
Two million plus votes can make a difference in a tight presidential race. However, the big unknown is how the Arab community in the United States will vote, pollster John Zogby of Zogby International told the Middle East Times.
Arab Americans in the past tended to vote more conservative, especially Muslim Americans, who place great importance on strict family values. According to Zogby, Muslims represent about 25 percent of Arab Americans.
In the 2000 elections Zogby's polls found that the majority of Arab Americans voted for George W. Bush. But in the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001 a large number of Arab Americans disapproved of the White House's policy on a) Iraq, and b) the way many members of the community were detained on suspicion of sympathies with Islamist and/or terrorist organizations.
Four years later in 2004 the majority of conservative Arab Americans, feeling let down by the Bush administration, voted for the Democrats.
Today, the question both camps are trying to find out is how the community will vote in November. Neither Obama nor McCain have really clarified their position on the Middle East in any great detail, a deciding factor for many Arab Americans.
So to both candidates we say, "yalla," define your position.