DEARBORN — Several voters surveyed by The Arab American News at precincts throughout Dearborn in Tuesday’s midterm elections said education is the number one issue that brought them to the polls. 

The elections included races for governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representative, state legislature and county executive. However, Joseph Salmassi, a voter at the St. Alphonsus precinct, said the Dearborn Board of Education race was the most important one.

“We want to change and improve our schools,” he said. “That’s our number one priority.”

Salmassi added that he voted for Democratic candidate Mark Schauer for governor because Gov. Rick Snyder “is taxing our pensions.” But he praised the governor for balancing the state’s budget.

Sanaa Abbas, who was voting at Woodworth Middle School, also cited education as her first concern as a voter.

“I voted Democrat. We want the Republicans out. They have been cutting education,” she said.

Abbas added that the local school board election is equally important. She said she supports Ghinwa Karkaba for the board.

At Woodworth’s two precincts, more than 120 people had voted by 11 a.m., a tally described as “more than usual” by a poll worker. A sum of 704 ballots was cast at the school on Tuesday, representing 27.8 percent of registered voters. 

Zeinab Ramadan, a volunteer for board of education candidate Mariam Bazzi, said in the morning the election lacks excitement.

Volunteers gathered in front of polling stations rallied around passersby and handed them electoral slates and campaign literature. Most campaigners in east Dearborn were for board of education candidates and/or members of the Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC). No campaigners for state-wide candidates were seen at any of the eight polling stations visited by The Arab American News.

Most voters observed by our paper were elderly or middle-aged, a sign of young people’s of lack of interest in the political process.

At Salina Elementary in Dearborn’s Southend, a predominantly Yemeni American neighborhood, the turnout was 22 percent.

Ali Baleed Almaklani, the executive director of the Yemen American Benevolent Association (YABA), said the turnout does not live up to the dire need for political involvement from the community. 

However, he added that interest in local politics is increasing and praised community organizations’ efforts in using social media to remind people to vote. 

“Yemeni Americans are organically Democrat because the Democratic party stands with the working class and supports affordable education and immigration reform,” he said. 

Almaklani weighed in on the school board’s race, voicing his support for Arab candidates. 

“We want qualified people on the board of education regardless of their ethnicity,” he said. “But if we can get qualified people who represent us, it would be great.”

Sheikh Gamal Magalli, a voter at Salina who is a Ford Motors retiree, expressed his pride in voting. 

“We have a chance to be decision-makers in this great democratic nation. We should not give it away,” he said. “Our vote highlights our presence and make politicians care about us.”

State Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who was serving as a Democratic challenger at Salina’s precincts, described the turnout as “moderate.” 

“There isn’t a lot enthusiasm, but I’ve seen commitment, especially from people bringing their family members to vote,” she said. “People are encouraged by exercising their right to vote, not necessarily anybody on the ballot.”

Rainy day, low turout

It rained for most of the morning and afternoon on Tuesday.

Ali Hammoudi, the president of AAPAC, bemoaned the weather conditions, adding that they could have affected the low voter turnout. He said AAPAC has volunteers all over the city and that voters are most excited about the school board race.

The organization endorsed Bazzi, Karkaba and Dr. Michael Meade, but many Arab American voters in east Dearborn were favoring candidate Nofila Haidar over Meade. For example, at Becker Elementary Haidar received 174 votes, compared to 89 votes for Meade.

Hammoud told The Arab American News that AAPAC endorses the candidates it considers the most qualified, “but at the end of the day people are free to choose who they like; voting is a personal choice.”

Councilman Mike Sareini, who was campaigning for Bazzi at Dearborn High School, said the turnout at the west end polling station was steady.

Sareini said people are more interested in the local races— the school board and the 19th district court judgeship— than in the races for governor and the U.S. Senate. 

The councilman added that the Arab American community participation is progressing gradually. 

“More people are coming out to vote,” he said. “We have more organizations and more resources to increase turnout every year. I cannot be more pleased.”

Sareini added that the community has come a long way since his mother, retired City Council Pro Tem Suzanne Sareini, first ran for office in 1985.

Rami, a young medical professional who cast his ballot at Dearborn High, said he chose Schauer for governor because of the candidate’s support for education.

Schauer led in all precincts in the mostly Arab American east Dearborn, but the majority in the west side favored Snyder. Over all, Schauer received 52.44 of Dearborn’s votes compared to 45.28 percent for the governor.

As it has been the trend in past elections, the turnout in west Dearborn was higher than the city’s east side. In most west Dearborn precincts, the number of voters exceeded 50 percent; while in east Dearborn the turnout was between 22 and 29 percent. The overall turnout in Dearborn was 41 percent.

In Dearborn Heights, where the turnout was 36.84 percent, there was even less excitement at the precincts visited by the Arab American News. Democrats led in every single partisan race. 

A volunteer for school board candidate Zeinab Hussein’s campaign said Arab turnout was minimal. 

Nahida Ismail, a mother of students who attend the Crestwood School district, said Hussein’s candidacy is what motivated her to head to the polls.

“We heard great things about her,” Ismail said after casting her ballot at the Canfield Community Center. “She will be good for the district. We want to be represented on the board.”

Hussein, Sue Kaminsky and Colleen Krizanic were vying for two empty seats on the Crestwood School Board, which covers most schools in Dearborn Heights. Hussein lost her bid and came in third place, about 15 percentage points from Krizanic, who came in second.