So far, 4,000 people have registered in Chicago, second only to Detroit in the United States. About 5,500 people have registered in the Motor City.

IRAQI VOTER REGISTRATION Iran: 41,088 Sweden: 22,957 United Kingdom: 20,245 United States: 17,103 Detroit: 5,551 Chicago: 4,000 Nashville: 3,228 Los Angeles: 2,813 Washington, D.C.: 1,511 Total: 188,399 (also includes Germany, 16,393; Netherlands, 11,545; Jordan, 10,941; Syria, 10,500; Denmark, 9,653; United Arab Emirates, 9,039; Australia, 8,221; Canada, 6,601; Turkey, 3,454, and France, 659) Source: International Organization for Migration

But overall, officials with the International Organization for Migration, which is overseeing the out-of-country voting in the Iraqi elections, are disappointed that only 20 percent of the eligible million or more Iraqi expatriates around the globe have registered.

Only 17,000 of an estimated 234,000 Iraqi citizens in the United States have registered.

Because of that, the organization has extended registration between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. today and Tuesday for Iraqis living abroad.

Additionally, while the election will take place only on Sunday in Iraq, expatriates can vote in the rest of the world on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Within Iraq, voter registration numbers have been harder to come by because an estimated 20 million eligible voters are being threatened with death if they participate.

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of Iraq’s al-Qaida affiliate, reportedly is the voice behind a warning posted on the Internet declaring a “fierce war” against anyone who votes.

Weather has been hampering voter-registration efforts in the Midwest.

In Chicago on Saturday, an Iraqi citizen from South Dakota flew in to register, saying a busload of Iraqis from that state had planned to drive in but were prevented from doing so by snow.

Contributing: AP

 

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