Out of State Iraqis Expected to Travel to Nashville Polling Site

Iraqi expatriates from as far away as Missouri are expected to make the journey to Nashville this weekend to vote in parliamentary elections. Nashville is one of nine U.S. polling sites, and the only one in the southeast.

Some observers were disappointed with voter turnout in the 2005 election. This time around, the number of candidates could outnumber those who vote in Nashville.

But Hassan Merani of Bellevue says the long list of Iraqis running for office is a sign that Democracy is taking hold in his home country.

“There’s more than 5,000 people just for this parliamentary election, which is a good thing.”

It still makes voting difficult. That’s why Merani says he plans to vote only for candidates on a list put out by the two main parties of Iraqi Kurdistan. Merani says Kurds, who have the ultimate goal of creating an independent country, hope to hold onto their 59 seats in parliament.

Organizers of the Nashville polling site expect more Iraqi voters to turnout this weekend than in 2005 because of new rules.

Nashville was picked as one of the nine polling sites in the U.S. because of the large Kurdish community here, estimated at 10,000. Iraqi expatriates from around the region will also travel to vote, and Jameel Sameen of Nashville says he expects more of them to come. This year, they don’t have to make one trip to register and another to vote.

“This year they don’t have to do it twice. They will come just one time and vote.”

The Iraqi polling site is open Friday through Sunday at 4527 Nolensville Pike, near the Social Security office.