[IHT / NYTimes] Iraqis to get 5 polling places in U.S.

[Maven]

WASHINGTON Bush administration officials are saying that an estimated 240,000 Iraqis in the United States will be eligible to join in the election in Iraq by voting in five U.S. cities this month.
.
Citing figures compiled by the International Organization for Migration, an independent body that works closely with the United Nations, administration officials say perhaps a million Iraqis over the age of 18 living in 14 countries outside Iraq will be able to vote.
.
An estimated 13 million to 14 million people within Iraq are eligible.
.
The officials said Wednesday that final arrangements for the voting had not been worked out, including where polling places will be set up in the five U.S. cities: Detroit; Los Angeles; Nashville, Tennessee; New York; and Washington.

(snip)

UN officials involved in the election said that they had been dubious about allowing so many Iraqis outside the country to vote. But they said that the former exiles installed in Baghdad by the U.S.-led occupation insisted on such an arrangement, hoping that a large vote outside Iraq would help their chances in the election. more...

Thought 1: Forgive me, but--Nashville? (On edit: Thanks to Crisco for the info below.)

Thought 2: Diebold to the rescue again! Gotta keep those puppet governments installed, you know--at home and abroad.

[NashVegas]

1. Nashville

Has the highest Kurd population in the US, or so I'm told.

Pre-registration is supposed to start Monday, in a park that's less than a mile from my home. I may go down and take my camera.

[Maven]

2. Interesting...

Thanks for the info. Would be interesting to see some pics.

[NashVegas]

3. The Tennessean's Website

crappy paper, not even fit for litter box lining, but here ya go:

http://www.tennessean.com/

[proud2BlibKansan]

10. Sounds like they are making it just as hard

for the Iraqis to vote as they do for any minority group in the USA. They have to ride a bus to the polling place, they have to be cleared by security, they can't bring any bags, only identification papers and if they show up at the polling place without going through the security procedures, they will be turned away and not allowed to vote.

It's becoming an American tradition - harrassing minority voters.

[rainbow4321]

22. Iraqis in Dallas would have a 10 hour drive...TWICE..

Once to go register and then a few days later they would have to make the same trip to go vote!

[Maven]

24. On the upside...

They'll be burning plenty of the fossil fuel their country was bombed for.

Sick.

[Ouabache]

9. heck Crisco, might as well register to vote while you are there

Lots of your tax money is going to Iraq, so why not vote in their election?

[NashVegas]

12. LOL

I don't see it.

Two years ago, Cheney was in town and there were a bunch of protestors, but there were also some local immigrants showing up to voice support for the war. I'm curious to know if they still feel the same way.

[rfranklin]

4. Here we go with the "absentee ballots" again!

George Bush elected Emperor of Iraq by a landslide.

[unblock]

5. amazing. this will COMPLETELY undermine the credibility of the election

not like anyone outside the fox news and rush limbaugh audience would have thought it was credible....

[havocmom]

6. Yeah, 50% of the population in Iraq probably not gonna be allowed to vote

cuz the areas they live in are not 'stable' enough for an election to be held and now there will be voting in the US? :wtf:

They must be trying to make our last attempt at an election look reasonably fair in comparison.

[diamond14]

14. and also undermine any credibility to American elections...

once we let foreign countries run their election in OUR country...hell, arnold schwarznegger will be hosting the new Austrian elections out of California...Vincente Fox will DEMAND the same rights as those Iraqis...


there's already enough insanity to OUR own elections, without allowing OTHER countries to conduct THEIR elections HERE....


IMO, every country should run their elections IN THEIR OWN COUNTRY, not here in America....my gawwdddd...we're having IRAQI elections inside a beautiful Ramada Hotel in Washington DC, while OUR OWN CITIZENS had to stand outside crappy run-down old buildings waiting in the rain...and IT's OUR TAX MONEY paying for these Iraqi elections....

[Maven]

18. I think it might backfire anyway.

There MUST be some degree of awareness and (hushed) outrage on the part of Iraqi immigrants at what this gov't and its exile buddies have brought upon innocent Iraqis. What makes them so sure they'll vote the "right" way?

Oh wait. Hah. I forgot who's counting the votes. :eyes:

[TomClash]

7. More polling places than in most African American neighborhoods

eom

[sweetheart]

11. yep, my feeling precisely

Americans were denied their voting priviledge for showing up at the
wrong precinct a few blocks away, but to throw an iraqi election, golly
we'll bend over backwards and open a poll 80000 miles away... no
problemo.

It seems if anything he's testing in this new term is the geometric
depth of repuke hipocrisy.

[Barkley]

23. And the Iraqis ballots more likely to be counted!

This goes to show that this whole election performance is for Americans. It makes some Americans feel good that we've brought (our version of) democracy to the uncivilized and barbaric people of Iraq.

Those opposing our formula for democracy must be condemned.

[TomClash]

28. No argument here - I saw it up close and personal in FLA 2004 nt

[Wilms]

8. Great! The Chalobbyists will have a say. n/t

[diamond14]

13. what about POLAND...let's have elections for the Polish people in America

AND how about the RUSSIANS...let's have elections for the Russians here in America !!! and the MEXICANS...we need MEXICAN voting machines in America....AMERICA, where we set up YOUR country's voting machines HERE !!!....so even if they are illegally HERE, they can still vote in for their HOME country elections !!!.....

(cough cough...if you an American in a foreign country, please just mail in your absentee ballot)....


How about it !!!!


Instead of requiring mail-in absentee ballots for foreigners who are living in America...we'll just set up their entire ELECTION HERE, election booths and all....

[renaissanceguy]

15. Doesn't this make Iraq a colony of the US?

I mean, if they're supposed to be a sovereign nation, they should have voting THERE. The IRAQI interim government should deal with overseas voters, etc. It's not up to the US to hold THEIR elections.
http://www.cafepress.com/liberalissues.16472020

[NYC]

16. They should mail paper ballots.

And get them postmarked on time.

For what other country do we set up voting machines? None. If the Iraqi government (joke?) wants Iraqi citizens to vote conveniently in the U.S., let the Iraqi government set up voting stations in the Iraqi embassy and consulates.

Unless this is our new "career". Need to vote? Do it in the U.S. It's the only industry we have left. Rigged elections at affordable prices.

This is so astounding. I can't believe half the things they do anymore.

[diamond14]

17. NYT: seems to be the usual IMMIGRATION set-up..arrest them at the polls

and deport them....check out this quote...US IMMIGRATION AUTHORITIES gave election officials the NAMES/addresses of Iraqis in America...wonder how many have expired visas, etc????

This is the usual set-up....US Immigration makes a BIG catch all at the Ramada Hotel in Washington DC....the STING....


---------------------------------

There's something really WRONG here....
-snip- from NYT article....

"Kozak said that in the United States, the Department of Homeland Security, which handles immigration, had supplied Iraqi election officials with records on the location of Iraqi residents "as best we can tell" so that decisions could be made on where to set up polling places."

[radric]

20. Iraqi voting takes place in 14 countries..

-- Australia: Melbourne and Sydney

-- Canada: Calgary, Ottawa and Toronto

-- Denmark: Copenhagen

-- France: Paris

-- Germany: Berlin, Cologne, Mannheim and Munich

-- Iran: Ahvaz, Kermanshah, Mashhad, Orumiyeh, Qom and Tehran

-- Jordan: Amman

-- The Netherlands: Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Zwolle

-- Sweden: Gothenburg and Stockholm

-- Syria: Damascus

-- Turkey: Ankara, Istanbul

-- United Arab Emirates: Abu Dhabi, Dubai

-- United Kingdom: Glasgow, London and Manchester

-- The United States: Chicago; Detroit; Los Angeles; Nashville, Tennessee; and Washington
====================================================================

[Massachusetts]

21. What about Disney World?

[Crackingham]

19. Where's the one for Guantanamo?

[rainbow4321]

25. This is so wrong...leave it to the US to screw up another Election Day

http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0501/S00104.htm


A member of the Assyrian National Council of Illinois stated that Chicago’s Iraqis having registration and voting centers, so they do not have complaints. However, some community members expressed they are comfortable with the absence of the Syrian language on voter campaign material, since the majority of Chicago’s Iraqi community speaks Assyrian.

“They feel they have been ignored,” she said.

Nina Shea, the director of Freedom House’s Center for Religious Freedom; and James Y. Rayis, vice chair of the Chaldo-Assyrian American Advocacy Council published an article about the mass exodus of Iraq’s Chaldo-Assyrian community.

They explain that the Christian minority “…find themselves marginalized and pushed aside in the electoral process – not only they their tormentors but, perhaps inadvertently by the U.S. Government

[Corgigal]

26. I hope no Iraqi living in the US

takes up this offer. You guys have GOT to be kidding right?

[daleo]

27. This will reduce the legitimacy of the election in Iraqi eyes

Even more than it already is reduced. It is all a farce anyway, the election was held in Washington a while back. They are just gathering votes for show.