PANA Celebrates Historic Voter Participation in Elections
“Families from every background make this city, our state and our country stronger. We’re proud we partnered with the San Diego County Registrar of Voters to make sure every voice in our community could be heard.”
From Abdul El-Sayed’s historic election as the first Muslim American in the U.S. Senate to Ilhan Omar’s decisive reelection, voters sent a clear message: we choose neighbors over division. Americans looked past the attempts to target Muslim and Somali communities and voted for leaders who will fight for health care, good jobs and a democracy that belongs to all of us. That is the country our communities have always believed in, and it is the country we will keep building together.
The record breaking number of voters who turned out to vote in this election is the evidence.
The PANA Event Hall served as a Voting Center and brought the vote close to home for families in City Heights, Mid-City and the College Area, neighborhoods that have been targeted by increased ICE activity. The center was also open to every voter in San Diego County, and it became a welcoming place to vote for neighbors who speak languages other than English. Like all county vote centers, it offered reference ballots in Arabic, Somali, Hmong, and so many others, so voters could read every contest in the language they know best.
“Families from every background make this city, our state and our country stronger. We’re proud we partnered with the San Diego County Registrar of Voters to make sure every voice in our community could be heard.” said Ramla Sahid, PANA’s Executive Director.
This election season, PANA had conversations with thousands of voters across San Diego County about what’s at stake for their families and how to make their voices heard. We also collaborated Countywide with partners including Alliance San Diego and Universidad Popular and deployed poll monitors to help make sure the election ran smoothly and that every voter could cast a ballot fairly and safely.
We hosted ballot parties where neighbors came together to learn how voting works, walk through their ballots and get ready to vote with confidence. At our candidate forums for the State Superintendent and local city council races, community members asked candidates directly about the issues that matter most to them.
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