While the choices this cycle may seem so stark, many in my Arab and Muslim community are asking how I can vote for someone who cannot commit to ending the genocide of my people? To a grieving community where so many of them barely survived the first nightmare Donald Trump presidency, but who are also now watching as their families and loved ones are eliminated using our tax dollars and bombs, the choice feels impossible.

I have agonized over this question every single day. Having this conversation right now feels like talking about politics at a funeral. The urgency and complexity is even more intense since early voting started in Georgia, a key swing state. So today, I once again find myself propelled by a grief so overwhelming it has made breathing, let alone making decisions, impossible some days.

Voting this year carries a heavier weight, as it feels like choosing between survival and surrender. Please know this is not fear-mongering. It is a reality. Organizing around Palestine is difficult already with unprecedented efforts to silence and punish advocates. I don’t believe there’s anything worse than genocide. But the reality is a second Trump presidency would ensure continued disaster for our community and far too many other allied communities as well.