Parastou Hassouri, a California voter living in Egypt, has often voted in years past via absentee ballot. She’s one of nearly 3 million Americans eligible to vote from overseas — with some 300,000 citizens living in the Middle East and North Africa, according to federal estimates.
But this election, she won’t be casting a vote.
Since October 7, 2023, Hassouri has contacted her elected representatives and participated in protests on a visit to the U.S. But none of that seems to matter, she said. She called her decision not to vote a “last-ditch effort” to express her opinion.
Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed more than 43,000 Palestinians and prompted accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice. The war has now spread to Lebanon, where more than 2,900 people have been killed. For Americans living in the region, both the devastation and the U.S. support for Israel were close to home and top of mind as the general election approached.
“I can’t bring myself to cast a vote for the Democratic Party,” Hassouri said. “It’s a decision completely informed by the situation in Gaza and now Lebanon.” She had little faith that a Trump administration would prove any better.
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