Dear Editor,
America votes today. At least two Guyanese Americans will be on the ballot. Guyanese are urged to vote to help determine the outcome of the elections locally in NY as well as nationally. In polling up till Sunday evening, the Republicans were way ahead of the Democrats heading for a lopsided victory. And based on my interviews, Guyanese and other Caribbean American voters are not showing much voter enthusiasm in the elections, not even in Richmond Hill where one of their own is on the ballot.
The size of the Guyanese American vote is small to have an impact on the outcome of any election except in Richmond Hill. They could also help to determine the outcome in some close contests in Florida and New Jersey where large numbers of Guyanese are also settled. In general, Guyanese identify with the Democratic Party and most are likely to vote for Democratic candidates except in some seats where moderate Republicans have been supportive of immigrants and other minorities.
Opinion surveys say there will be a Republican blow-out in Congress similar, if not greater, than the one that decimated the Democrats in 1994 when Bill Clinton was President. The Republicans captured 52 seats from the Democrats in that mid-term election. This year, it could be around 70, say the polls. There is a complete reversal of voters’ faith in President Obama because of his party’s failure to create jobs for the unemployed. The Democrats are pariahs in most states, even trailing in Barack Obama’s former Senate seat in Illinois.
In local races in Queens, Guyanese American turnout could mean the difference between a victory and a loss for Democrats in the NY State Senate as well as in the District 28 race in the heart of Richmond Hill for NY City Council. Albert Baldeo, a former magistrate in Guyana, is one of seven candidates vying for the vacant seat.
Baldeo has assisted a lot of voters in the district, including in communities where Guyanese don’t reside outside of Richmond Hill. He can pull off an upset if they show up at the polling booths for him. But it is an uphill task.
With regard to State Senate races, Guyanese American John Sampson is expected to be a shoo-in. Richmond Hill based Guyanese raised a lot of money for him even though he is running for a seat in Brooklyn.
Democrats are not expected to suffer any losses in the State Assembly, but the state Senate will see some close races. The Democrats won the Senate two years ago and it appears they can hold it even though several senators have been accused of corruption. Only two seats separate the Republican and Democrats, including the Richmond Hill seat held by Joe Addabbo who won it with Guyanese support and needs their support again to hold it.
Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram
