Live from Baghdad: Election Days in Iraq

This in from one of my friends in Iraq, Mohammed Nayyef

Me with my inky finger

Alkadhimiya, BAGHDAD, Iraq (April 30, 2014)

Today is the elections day, and it is really unique and never happened before that lots of people are taking all the efforts to go and vote.

I guess maybe because we had the worst parliament that everyone is so eager to change.

All my friends with posts and Facebook updates are all about the elections. Everyone is saying we all should go.

And there's hope here and best chance to change everything.

Me and my family we all went together and voted even though we had different points of views and we chose different parties.

I chose the civil democratic alliance, which most of the youth really support, as we believe they have decent and honest members.

And we don't really know and don't care about their religion or sect.

It doesn't matter and we all support building a civil democratic country.

It is a positive energy here that we don't have everyday.

It is a good day here!

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My electronic voters ID

I met Mohammed "Knife" Nayyef when he came to the U.S. with some other Iraqi students and a couple Chicago kids through World Chicago. Knife and the others spent time in Vermont, Chicago and Washington, DC. He stayed with the Swansons in Evanston. I lead a photo project that had him and his mates capture what they found meaningful. We created books for them to share with the Iraqi families.