Canopy Atlanta Voting Barriers and Bridges Fellow Gellela Belachew searched for residents we spoke to during our election listening this summer who did not plan to vote. She came across Arafat, who was willing to talk to her about why he will not vote in next week’s election.
Arafat, a 29-year-old software engineer living in Gwinnett County, does not plan to vote in next week’s election. He’s a Muslim South Asian who has lived in Georgia for 20 years. The New York native has been frustrated and reluctant to vote. Witnessing what he considers America’s enabling of genocide in Palestine has led to his disdain for American politics.
The father and husband is one of more than 200 residents that Canopy Atlanta spoke to over the summer about the election. While many residents expressed concerns about the economy and domestic politics, some like Uddullah pointed to international conflict as a deterrent to voting. Canopy Atlanta asked him a selection of 24 questions about his life and what’s disconnected him from the voting process this year.
What is a typical work day like for you?
You know, it’s basically a corporate nine to five. I work from home. So I join meetings, work with clients, do technical work with our software, and then just try to solve problems for other companies.
What’s great about living in metro Atlanta?
I guess I like the fact that it’s relatively affordable compared to other cities, and kind of just the opportunities here, and the diversity is visible and it’s great.
What do you do in your spare time?
Hang out and do typical stuff like playing sports, watching sports, playing video games, going out to see some nature in the city. I love to travel, so that’s also something that we do.
What are some of your proudest moments you can recall?
I guess when graduating college and getting my first job, that’s two separate things. Then, when I traveled internationally for the first time to start my life here, and when I bought my first home as well.
How would you describe your neighborhood?
I live in Dacula, it’s like north of Lawrenceville, so it’s a growing area close to a lot of good places to eat. I think it’s just a nice, quiet, urban town, and it’s clean. Everything just looks nice. Everybody’s yards are aesthetic. And then another thing is, I guess the neighbors are friendly.
Do you meet with your neighbors for special events, as it relates to politics or civic engagement?
Not really.
What does the term living the American Dream mean to you?
It means being able to financially be free and having to take advantage of the opportunities. [It means] to work, having a good job with good salary, providing for your family, and being able to enjoy things that life has to offer.
Are you a Republican or a Democrat?
I’ve been a Democrat most of my life, but right now I am neither. Some of my social agendas are liberal-based, but, at the same time, I cannot support a nation or a political party that enables genocide. So I’m very torn, but it’s, you know, a lot of my liberal views are aligned with Democratic policy. A lot of economic views are aligned with the conservative groups.
How have you been involved in politics? Have you ever worked for political campaigns in the past?
I have actually; it was through my wife [a Canopy Atlanta Fellow]. She was working for AAAF, which stands for Asian American Advocacy Fund, and I was helping canvas for the [presidential] nominee at that time. That was back in 2020 when Biden was running against Trump. So, it was a good opportunity to go out there, mobilize, and see what people are up to with their political journeys.
Have you ever attended local government meetings? If so, what was your experience like?
I’ve thought about it, but I haven’t done anything.
When you voted in the past, was there a time you hesitated for not knowing enough information about the candidate?
I think in the local elections, I’m still not sure who is who sometimes and what the policies are; because it’s the first time you see people’s names. So, usually, you just go for whatever party you voted for overall, without even knowing what actual policies they’ve been implementing. So, it’s hard to identify what policies they are trying to implement and what not. It’s pretty hard to vote in the local elections. Obviously, presidential and the main national elections are more pronounced.
“I think the more I learn about how the USA operates on a global scale, the less inclined I am to vote. My biggest drive as to why I’m not voting is because of the US’s stance on Palestine and why this country’s enabling and funding a genocide to kill children, and trying to hide it. Neither candidate really is doing anything for that.”
What would you say is an obstacle for voting or being motivated to vote?
The socioeconomics of voting. People that are in lower classes would have a harder time. Some people can’t get the day off on the Tuesday of November 5th to vote. So, I think that is definitely an obstacle. Early voting is something that is beneficial, but if you have children you can’t leave them alone, so it’s still based on class [because] you have to find daycare.
How can a young person, who may have a busy lifestyle, best incorporate civic engagement into his/her life?
I think through social media, especially if they’re too busy. I think social media has a lot of information that they can take advantage of and learn more from.
In your opinion, what factors would motivate young adult voters such as yourself to be more engaged in politics
Maybe policies that directly affect younger people, prioritizing those, and maybe even better representation of the youth.
What has influenced your current opinion about politics and the candidates running?
I think the more I learn about how the USA operates on a global scale, the less inclined I am to vote. My biggest drive as to why I’m not voting is because of the US’s stance on Palestine and why this country’s enabling and funding a genocide to kill children, and trying to hide it. Neither candidate really is doing anything for that. We grew up Democrats. Democratic policies like Social Security and Medicaid helped our immigrant families. But at the same time, if you know they’re killing children, you cannot, I cannot, really go with that.
Where do you prefer getting important information about the candidates and the election?
Social media. [Because it is] easily accessible, and it’s unfiltered…So, I don’t care what CNN or Fox News says, because they’re obviously controlled, lobbied by those politicians. So, it’s better to get it from social media with independent journalists and primary sources.
Can you explain what you mean by “unfiltered” news?
With social media, there are real people behind those pages, and it’s not really media. Media companies are politically biased, especially in this country; whereas, individual reporters and journalists that are on the ground have their own accounts that they report with live footage of what’s actually happening with real information. So, it’s not that it’s unfiltered, it’s just raw footage that you can actually see for yourself in this day and age where footage gets twisted and words get twisted to convey political biases.
What influences your opinion that social media is more verifiable than broadcast news?
With social media, there are fact checks, and there’s software that detects if certain content is real or not. If it’s something very extreme that’s been passed around as the truth, there are tools in these different applications like Twitter [X] that have fact checking capabilities. There’s a lot of fake information on social media, which you just need to know how to avoid.
What’s the conversation like in your home regarding politics?
Kind of the same sentiment; both of the parties are not really fighting for the American public, I would say. And again, same sentiment with foreign affairs; nobody cares about the real issues that are happening with the war in Palestine.
Compared to the past, do you see some gaps created between the government and the people?
Yeah, Trump, especially with just how he is, causes a lot of distrust between governments and political candidates and the general population. I think his antics cause a lot of that to happen. So, I definitely see some gaps. [Back in the 2016 election], Trump was so extreme and the media did a good job of capturing it and making it even more extreme to see. It wasn’t like that before. It wasn’t as divisive as it is now. On most issues nowadays, Democrats and Republicans are completely opposite, and there’s a huge divide between the American public. But, before, it was not so divisive .
There’s pros and cons to [people being civically engaged]. One good thing is, yeah, sure, more people are voting, I guess. But the bad part is, a lot of the people that are voting still don’t know what’s really going on. They’re just voting for Trump, for example, because they just like him, and they just like what he says.
When you look at your community or your neighbors, what are some of the issues you see that need attention?
Economics is always an issue….I don’t think there’s any public transportation to Dacula. It’s just too far out. That’s pretty much it.
How will voting for the right candidate fix that?
I think in the local elections, we need to understand what they are going to do with our tax money, where that money goes, and if they’re allocating it in the right way. I think that’s useful.
With some local and national election offices reporting the use of panic buttons and bulletproof glass, would you say security and safety is an issue at polling places?
Personally, I haven’t really deemed it as an issue. I could see some places could have an issue and security should be taken seriously, but the bigger issue is the gun control. I mean no other developed country has to go to this type of effort to just have a fair and safe election, so it’s kind of ridiculous. I think just having metal detectors, something like that, would help prevent anything from happening.
Lastly, is there anything you’d like to share about the upcoming election or American politics?
I don’t think voting will really change [American politics], because it’s controlled by a few lobbyists. Until we can change the actual nucleus of the people that are in our government, I don’t think there’s gonna be real change enacted. I think there needs to be a full on reset with members of Congress. I think we need to let younger people in the Congress. I think we need to have new people that can represent the true American public. Otherwise, it’s just going to be the same rhetoric for years and years because of the same people.
Editor’s Note: Arafat’s last name was removed from this story when he expressed concern for his safety after the election.
Editor: Stephanie Toone
Canopy Atlanta Reader: Mariann Martin and Kamille D. Whittaker
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