November 27, 2020
Recently naturalized Iranian-Americans were among voters casting ballots for the first time in a US election this month. The Chicago Tribune spoke to a dozen first time voters about why they thought it was important to cast their ballots and how they were feeling a day later with results still pending.
Among those approached by the Tribune was Iranian Ali Sharifi Tarokh, 35.
As a refugee who came to Chicago in 2012 from Iran, Tarokh was excited to be able to cast his ballot for the first time. He became a citizen in 2019 and said America had given him so much—his master’s degree, his career, his marriage, his citizenship.
“When I came to this country, I didn’t have anything but hope. But when I was in Iran, I had everything but hope,” he said. Voting for the US president, he added, was “amazing.”
“I’ve been waiting for this moment since I got my citizenship,” he said. “It’s important because our voice matters.”
Tarokh said he thought President Trump was not representing American values, such as by closing the borders to people fleeing their homelands, like him. “This city gave me a second chance to build my life again,” Tarokh said. He went to his local polling station to vote. “It was very exciting,” he said. “I was so proud.”