By Islam Dogru
DEARBORN (AA) - Voters in Michigan, one of the most pivotal states in the US presidential election, began heading to the polls early Tuesday to cast their ballots for the nation’s next president and new members of Congress.
Polling in Michigan will continue until 8 p.m. local time, with voters deciding whether to send Democratic candidate Kamala Harris or Republican Donald Trump to the White House as the nation's 47th president.
In what is shaping up to be a historic election, the US presidential election will see the state’s Muslim community expressing its outrage over US support for Israeli actions in Gaza.
Jacklin Zeidan, a Dearborn resident of Palestine descent, expressed her views on the election, saying that it is not about candidates like Trump or Harris but about the future and policy changes for the community.
"There's a lot that happened over the year, and I think our government has been complicit (in Gaza genocide), and they have not been making decisions based on humanity and peace. I think it was all about warmongering and how much money they can make in their pockets ... from weapons, arms, and all that," Zeidan told Anadolu.
"I hope what happens after today is two things that we in this country, all of us, no matter who we are, that the numbers are really huge when it comes to voting today. Because I think we, as a nation, as American citizens, need to let these politicians know that we are no longer standing by and that we are holding you guys all accountable, no matter what party you're from," she added.
Reajb, who voted for the first time in the election, said that there was nothing more terrible than what happened in Gaza and said that she voted for a third party candidate in response to the Israeli genocide in Gaza.
"I think it's important for everyone to cast a vote, especially, you know, considering everything that's going on, and I think it's important especially to vote Green Party in this election, because we know we can't trust either party to represent us and our needs, especially coming from a community of Arabs," she said.
"I'm hoping that we can punish the Democratic Party for everything that's happened in the past year, to show them that we're not going to have unconditional support, and they can't fear monger us about the Republican Party enough to be afraid to not vote for them," she added.
Has Chero, an Arab American, said he hopes that the Arab American voice will be heard more, particularly in relation to issues in the Middle East, such as Gaza and Lebanon.
Henry Ray, who said he saw the Dearborn community coming together at the ballot box, said he voted for Harris, but the situation in Gaza caused problems for many voters.
Ray said living in a key swing state exhausted him, noting the constant presence of candidates and the intensity of the election campaign.
Majority of American Muslims, especially those in Michigan, felt betrayed and were angered by the Biden administration's unconditional support for Israel which killed more than 43,000 Palestinians in Gaza in the wake of Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.
On Tuesday, Americans are choosing between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump for the 47th president of the country.
*Writing by Servet Gunerigok