VOTE! Your Life Depends On It!
As-Salaamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu
May the Peace, Mercy and Blessings of Allah (God) Be Upon You
On August 4, 2018, the South East Queens Muslim Collective, Inc. started its VOTE! Your Life Depends On It Voter Education/Registration Push, al-hamdulillah (All Praises Be to God).
We intend to inform, educate and provide voter registration forms or information about the registration process to as many community residents in South East Queens between now and October 6, 2018 as possible, insha'Allah (God Willing)!
We started our activities by making information available to visitors and others at the 2018 Jamaica Arts & Music Festival i.e., JAMS Fest held on Saturday, August 4, 2018 in downtown Jamaica, NY. What started out as a very rainy morning turned into a beautiful day with tens of thousands of people enjoying the vendors, food and music on Jamaica Avenue. SEQMC members spent the afternoon speaking with people and handing out a brochure developed by our membership that identifies ten (10) major reasons why people MUST vote in this year's mid-term election on November 6, 2018. We have listed these important reasons in this blog.
10 MAJOR REASONS WHY YOU MUST VOTE ON NOVEMBER 6, 2018
“AMERICA FIRST” DOESN’T WORK IN A 21ST CENTURY GLOBAL REALITY! A CREDIBLE, COMPASSIONATE AND COLLABORATIVE AMERICA IS A BETTER AMERICA. TURNING AGAINST AMERICAN ALLIES WITH INFERIOR AND INHUMANE POLICIES THAT SERVE THE INTERESTS OF THE RICH AND WEALTHY FIRST, WHILE THREATENING THE REST OF THE WORLD JUST DOESN’T WORK.
TO RETURN TO AMERICAN VALUES THAT HAD ALREADY MADE AMERICA GREAT E.G., CIVIL RIGHTS, HUMAN RIGHTS, WOMEN’S RIGHTS, VOTING RIGHTS, A BILL OF RIGHTS, FREEDOM OF RELIGION, UNION PROTECTION IN THE WORKPLACE…AND MORE.
TO BRING SANITY BACK TO GOVERNMENT AND STOP WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE U.S. AS A RESULT OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION, E.G., DISMANTLING OF U.S. INSTITUTIONS INCLUDING THE DEPARTMENTS OF JUSTICE, EDUCATION, ENERGY, HOUSING, ETC. AMERICANS DESERVE MORE.
TO PROTECT THE REASONABLE POLICIES ENACTED BY PRESIDENT OBAMA THAT HELPED MILLIONS OF AMERICANS E.G., THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT (HEALTH), CLEAN AIR AND WATER/CLIMATE CHANGE (ENVIRONMENT), INCREASING EMPLOYEE WAGES AND OVERSIGHT OF BANKS TO PROTECT AVERAGE AMERICAN’S ASSETS AND SAVINGS (ECONOMY).
TO SUPPORT IMMIGRATION POLICIES THAT ALLOW REFUGEES AND OTHERS SEEKING ASYLUM OR TO COME TO THE U.S. FOR SAFETY OR TO BE WITH THEIR FAMILIES OR FOR THE OPPORTUNITIES IN AMERICA TO ENTER AND REMAIN IN THE U.S. AS CONTRIBUTING RESIDENTS AND PROSPECTIVE FUTURE CITIZENS.
YOU WANT SENSIBLE GUN LAWS TO PREVENT EASY ACCESS TO GUNS THAT RESULT IN SENSELESS MASS SHOOTINGS, CONTRIBUTE TO RACIST KILLINGS AND CAUSE OUR SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES TO BE LESS SAFE.
YOU WANT TO LIVE IN A DEMOCRACY WHERE THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE HAVE SAY IN HOW THEIR GOVERNMENT OPERATES AND TREATS ALL IT’S CITIZENS AND RESIDENTS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAW E.G., MAINTAINS UNBIASED COURTS; HOLDS ITS ELECTED OFFICIALS ACCOUNTABLE.
TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE SACRIFICES OF AMERICANS WHO FOUGHT AND DIED FOR YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE. THESE INCLUDE FORMER SLAVES WHO AS FREED AMERICANS FOUGHT AND DIED IN THE CIVIL WAR FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS, AS CITIZENS, TO HAVE THE RIGHT TO VOTE (14TH AMENDMENT); FREEDOM SUMMER COLLEGE STUDENTS CHANEY, GOODMAN AND SCHWERNER MURDERED IN 1964 TRYING TO PROTECT THE RIGHTS OF DISENFRANCHISED AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE SOUTH TO USE THEIR RIGHT TO VOTE WON AFTER THE CIVIL WAR... AND MANY MORE! WE ARE STILL FIGHTING FOR VOTING RIGHTS WITHOUT DISCRIMINATION IN 2018, 150 YEARS LATER!
YOU EXPECT AMERICA TO UPHOLD DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES THAT INCLUDE FREEDOM, EQUALITY, LIBERTY, JUSTICE AND THE ABILITY TO PURSUE HAPPINESS-- INSTEAD OF AN AMERICA FULL OF PRISONS WITH INEQUALITY IN EMPLOYMENT AND HOUSING, INHUMANE IMMIGRATION AND VOLATILE FOREIGN POLICIES.
YOU MATTER! YOUR FAMILY MATTERS! YOUR FUTURE MATTERS! YOUR COMMUNITY MATTERS! YOUR VOTE MATTERS! YOU MUST PROTECT THESE FIVE (5) ASPECTS OF YOUR LIFE AND RIGHTS FOR YOURSELF AND OTHERS.
THESE REASONS ARE NOT IN ORDER OF PRIORITY… EACH ONE MATTERS!
YOUR VOTE COUNTS! YOUR VOTE CAN BE TAKEN AWAY IF YOU DON’T USE IT!
REGISTER BY OCTOBER 6, 2018 TO BE ELIGIBLE TO VOTE.
VOTE ON NOVEMBER 6, 2018. VOTE! YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!
NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS: VOTE!
TAKE NOTHING FOR GRANTED IN 2018!
Developed by the South East Queens Muslim Collective, Inc. Jamaica, New York; August, 2018; seqmc1@wixsite.com/home
We are making the brochure available as a download on the SEQMC website. We hope you will share it or this blog post with others.
Distributing the Brochure at the JAMS Fest on August 4, 2018
SEQMC Board Member Musaalih Bey and Councilman I Daneek Miller @ JAMS Fest
On Saturday, August 5th, SEQMC members attended the 14th Annual LL Cool J Jump & Ball Camp at the Daniel M. O'Connell Playground on Murdock Avenue in St. Albans. Information was shared with youth and adults enjoying the day at the Park.
SEQMC President Abdus-Salaam Musa and Vice President Bilal Karriem at Murdock Avenue Park.
The upcoming mid-term election is being called the most important election in the history of the United States! We hope other organizations will become active in assuring that their eligible members are registered voters as well as extending whatever efforts are possible within the broader community to encourage voter participation in the 2018 elections i.e., the September 13th primary and November mid-term.
We hope some may become convinced to register or re-register and vote on November 6, 2018 as a result of some of the reasoning we are providing above. We know there is a lot of consternation and confusion given the daily drama occurring in Washington DC, the seat of this nation's government, and elsewhere that may be attributed to the non-traditional structure of government we are witnessing in addition to the highly rhetorical or politically incorrect and gross language emanating from some elected officials in high positions in government (POTUS included).
Here is some additional information related to the registration process (also provided on our hand-out material):
THOSE ELIGIBLE TO VOTE IN THE NOVEMBER 6, 2018 (MID-TERM) ELECTION MUST MEET THE
FOLLOWING QUALIFICATIONS:
· be a United States citizen;
· be 18 years old by December 31 of the year in which you register (note: you must be 18 years old by the date of the election in which you want to vote);
· resident of New York State and the county, city or village for at least 30 days before the election;
· not be in prison or on parole for a felony conviction (formerly incarcerated citizens no longer on parole CAN VOTE!)
· not be adjudged mentally incompetent by a court;
· not claim the right to vote elsewhere.
YOU MAY NEED TO RE-REGISTER TO VOTE IF THE FOLLOWING APPLIES TO YOUR CURRENT CIRCUMSTANCES:
· You have changed your name or address since you last voted (update registration no later than 20 days prior to the election);
· You have not voted in any elections over a number of years (best to check than to have a problem on 11/6/2018)
Check your registration status online:
https://voterlookup.elections.ny.gov/
Download a Voter Registration Form:
http://www.vote.nyc.ny.us/downloads/pdf/forms/boe/voterreg/voterregenglish.pdf
Register online with valid DMV information:
https://dmv.ny.gov/more-info/electronic-voter-registration-application
SEQMC intends to continue its efforts throughout October 12, 2018, the last date that registration forms can be postmarked to arrive at the Board of Elections.
If you'd like to join our voter education/registration efforts please contact SEQMC at 718-663-4644 or contact us via email at seqmc1@gmail.com.
