|
NEW
CARROLLTON, Md. (AP) - Iraqis from the Washington
area and surrounding states registered Monday to
cast absentee ballots in their native country's
national elections at the end of the month.
By midmorning, more than 100 people had gone to the
registration center at a hotel about 15 miles
outside of Washington. After providing evidence of
Iraqi nationality, they were added to registration
lists and given a receipt to present when they
return to vote next week.
Yadullah A Nasrullah, 71, left Baghdad 11 years ago.
The Kurd from Clifton, Va., said the election is
critical for the country as a sign that Saddam
Hussein's dictatorship is over.
"We will be entering a new era - from dictatorship
to freedom. Every Iraqi will have the right to say
what is on their mind," he said.
The polling site at a Ramada Inn next to the Capital
Beltway is the only place for Iraqis living in the
Northeast and mid-Atlantic to vote. There are
polling places in Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago and
Nashville.
Officials from the International Center for
Migration, which is running the overseas voting for
the Iraqi government, predict that roughly 22,000
Iraqis will vote in Washington. Busloads were
expected to arrive over the next several days from
Boston, Philadelphia and New York.
In order to vote, a person has to either have been
born in Iraq, hold citizenship or prove that their
father was Iraqi. American citizens are allowed to
vote.
Associated Press
(C) COPYRIGHT 2005
Top |
® 