Upcoming 2024 US presidential election presents a voting dilemma for Sudanese Americans amid global crises

Less than a month before millions of Americans go to the polls to cast their Presidential ballots, countless Arab and Muslim American communities find themselves disillusioned and conflicted about participating this year. 

With ongoing violence in Gaza and now Lebanon front of mind for many of these voters, Sudanese American voters must also juggle the weight of war in their own country of origin — especially as it has remained on the back burner for American politicians and the general public.  

The World Population Review estimates that over 70,000 Sudanese Americans live across the country.

While small in absolute numbers, the political and cultural insight offered by voters within the diaspora can inform key policy on the issues they consider most important — including foreign policy, immigration, and civil rights.  

"When the US is spending money on genocide, refusing to allow refugees into the country, and keeping the unemployed out of healthcare, then it is being fundamentally fascist and a white supremacist"

For Razan Idris, a Philadelphia-based graduate student born in the States, foreign policy, immigration, and healthcare represent “the fundamental issues on which the other issues are built.”

She added, “When the US is spending money on genocide, refusing to allow refugees into the country, and keeping the unemployed out of healthcare, then it is being fundamentally fascist and a white supremacist. There can be no discussion of climate change, economic stability, and reproductive healthcare rights without addressing these even more basic issues first.”  

Similar sentiments of protecting immigration, withdrawing support to Israel and ensuring equal access to healthcare, economic security, and civil protections ring true for many Sudanese Americans.

As they prepare to vote, there is visible hesitation in supporting the Harris-Walz ticket, voting for a third party, or withholding their votes altogether.  

“Trump would raise hatred against all American immigrants — but especially Muslims,” said a Texas-based American Sudanese physician supporting the Harris-Walz ticket.

For many, the Harris-Walz ticket offers an alternative to a fearful Trump-Vance ticket, presenting what many consider their only option. 

“I know that every time I go to the voting booth, I'm not necessarily going to like what I see. But I know that if I opt out, then I’m doing the ones who came before me a disservice” 

For Osama Khidir, a Manager of Business Intelligence in Minnesota’s Twin Cities, Harris is “the right candidate at this time. Trump is a threat to democracy.”  

Mariam Zein, a New Jersey-based attorney says that supporting Harris was an easy decision for her.

As both Sudanese and Haitian American, she holds value in the act of voting — acknowledging that for Black Americans, it wasn’t always available. “In both sides of my family, generations have come to this country and fought for that right [to vote]. I remember my grandmother's first time voting. I take that civic responsibility seriously.” 

She emphasised that while she’s been left disillusioned by both the Democrats and Republicans, she has not yet been dissuaded. “I know that every time I go to the voting booth, I'm not necessarily going to like what I see. But I know that if I opt out, then I’m doing the ones who came before me a disservice.” 

Torn between the lesser evil

While many Sudanese Americans are supporting the Harris-Walz campaign, some feel like they are settling for a candidate who doesn’t truly reflect their interests.

Ameen Mekki, a 22-year-old postgrad in New York says of his support of Harris, “Unfortunately, she is the lesser of two evils. I feel Trump will be worse for the region, and more specifically, for Sudan.”  

For others, a potential Trump re-election is not enough to push some Sudanese voters towards the Harris camp. Rhana Elhassan, a 20-year-old communications student in Minneapolis plans to support Jill Stein, the Green Party’s Presidential Candidate.  

“I align and support her political ideas and policies in international diplomacy, climate policy, domestic issues, and reproductive rights,” she said on Stein. On why she will not vote for the Harris-Walz campaign, she said, “I won't vote for a candidate that actively supports and funds genocide, even if I agree with their other policies.” 

Others are opting out entirely, withholding their votes in protest of the Biden administration’s response in Gaza.

Idris said on levying the Democrats and Republicans, “On a domestic policy level I'd only marginally support Kamala over Trump. But they're the same to me regarding foreign policy.”

She added how that impacts her decision this year: "I normally would vote for the Democratic candidate as a 'lesser of two evils.' This year, I see little to no difference between the candidates except on questions of reproductive rights.” 

Sudanese American voters find themselves at a crossroads

Despite their general left-leaning views, political diversity is deeply engrained within the Sudanese American community — especially how age, gender, socioeconomic status, and other factors affect political interests. However, community-wide disappointment with the American response in both Gaza and Sudan runs deep. 

The US alliance with the United Arab Emirates, the primary financial backer of the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group that has brutally assaulted and killed thousands of civilians across Sudan, is an especially sore spot – especially as President Biden deepened this allyship just last month.  

To Jamal Haleem, a physician in Sacramento, California, this relationship has impacted his election view, leading to his continued hesitation in supporting the Harris-Walz ticket. For him, there has been a “lack of true engagement [with war-ending efforts]. Allying with the UAE, even though it is known that the UAE is fuelling the war by supporting the RSF, sending weapons to Sudan, and smuggling and stealing gold.”  

For these voters, there are clear ways for elected officials to represent their interests, especially in aiding a ceasefire in Sudan.

From calls for sanctions, expedited immigration opportunities for Sudanese civilians, similar to Ukrainians, engagement with the community, and increased humanitarian assistance for war recovery efforts, the Sudanese American electorate is eager to share their hopes for the next administration.   

As Election Day approaches, Sudanese American voters find themselves at a crossroads. Torn between participating in a political system that often overlooks their key concerns or withholding their votes in protest, they face a difficult choice.

Yet, they now wait with bated breath for an answer to the question they, and millions of other Americans, are asking: will the next administration rise to the occasion? 

Suha Musa is a freelance journalist and Masters student in NYU’s GLOJO programme. Suha is deeply passionate about the representation of Muslims, political relationships between the West and the Arab World, and media accessibility. She is also deeply interested in researching the current conflict in Sudan.