Saeed Minhas
I was passing through various streets in Toledo, Ohio and wondering what is the authenticity of the pollsters and newspapers in this country where all the pollsters and newspaper’s editorial boards have declared the elections almost over two week prior to elections. Because what I was finding amongst the voters here in Toledo, Ohio is totally different from what I have been reading about the state of Ohio changing colors from republicans red to Democrats blue or some put it mildly as light blue, which meant leaning towards democrats.
John Shousher, an activist with whom I spent some time in the Muslim suburbs was living in the Ohio for last 30 odd years and was quite active with the local congresswoman Marcy Kaptur’s campaign but still do not want to be associated with the campaign overtly like any other American. Why was it because he was a person of color or because America failed to give him a sense of inclusion even after spending 30 odd years in this country?
Then I went to see Latasha in the suburb of Toledo, where joblessness rules like a mystery in any of the Hitchcock’s Hollywood blockbuster and sat there with the friends and community people, all Afro-Americans. The fears I found out there was that rumors has it that many black voters are not heading for voting fearing they might be caught for any felony or unpaid traffic violation fines or any misdemeanors. A fact which was denied by Williann More, the president of the local chapter of the association of color people, because so far there have been over 20,000 votes cast in the advance polling or absentee voting as they call it, but not a single arrest has been made or at least that’s what local police claims and there were about 56000 who had registered for advance polling which will continue till Monday-a day before the actual polling day of November 4.
But that left me again wondering that where’s the responsibility of the state in handling these fears? Is it left to the local organizations to not only run their affairs, raise their funds and raise awareness about a polling which decides the fate of America and ultimately the world? Why state is not spending its precious resources on running a nationwide television campaign or newspapers ads telling the voters not to fear and come out and vote -a sort of non-partisan campaign for urging the voters to cast their vote and let us make an informed and participatory decision. If federal government can come up with a 750 billion dollars gift package for the banking sector and stock exchanges, whose CEOs have 10 times the bonuses of their salaries and are considered movers and shakers of the policies on the hill, then why not do this national duty towards those vulnerable communities who are suffering because they lack something in them?
It reminds me of the chat with the tall and lanky deputy managing editor of Washington Post Milton Coleman who said that blacks are only 13 to 14 per cent of the total 300 million odd population of this country and they are ones languishing in jails more than any other ethnic entity in this country. So its fine to disenfranchise those convicted but what about those fearing something and accused only. Yes the law says that there is nothing to fear if you are accused of anything and as they say in justice terms you are innocent until proven guilty. But will the State wake up to end this as a non-partisan player in the elections game continues to play on my mind. And I hope it will and it should.