No vote, no problem - Jamaican rallies support for Kamala

With Shaggy's mega hit, Strength of a Woman, blaring from his speakers, Girma Dickens has been crisscrossing Jamaica's Corporate Area and Portmore, St Catherine rallying support for US presidential hopeful Kamala Harris.

His black Infiniti is decked out with six posters of the Democratic candidate--one on each door, the hood, and the rear, along with US and Jamaican flags waving proudly.

Although he's not among the 161.4 million Americans registered to vote in the election, Dickens, a Jamaican resident with no US citizenship, feels deeply invested in its outcome.

"I have a lot of family members in the United States and I don't want that when I get the chance to go there the Statue of Liberty is missing," the 49- year-old told THE STAR. "Mi nuh reach a America yet, and me nuh waah when me guh deh, nuttin nuh deh deh," he added.

A resident of Maryland in St Andrew, Dickens is convinced that a win for Republican candidate Donald Trump would be disastrous for migrants and working-class families. On the other hand, he deeply admires Harris, whose Jamaican roots trace back to Brown's Town, St Ann. He describes the pride he feels for her as one that brings him to the edge of tears, filling him with goosebumps.

By routinely driving across sections of Jamaica, Dickens says he wants his fellow Jamaicans to recognise the strength of Harris and encourage their relatives overseas to go out and vote for her. His efforts add to ongoing efforts by family members in the USA who have been keeping each other on their toes as they stress the importance of today's elections.

Shamma Dickens-Phillips, a registered Democrat in New Jersey, told THE STAR that she's encouraged by brother's efforts to help to drive support for Harris. Dickens-Phillips is excited about Harris' chances of becoming the first female president of the USA. She said her family members are determined to make their votes count. She has been energised since Joe Biden stepped back as the nominee, allowing Harris to lead the ticket.

"Everybody is pretty energised," said Dickens-Phillips, adding that there is a family effort to get out the votes for Harris.

Americans are deeply divided over their choices for their next president, and opinion polls suggest the race is too close to call.

Dickens-Phillips told THE STAR that although she is confident in a Harris win, she will be on the edge of her seat tonight as she awaits the results of the closely contested election.

"I won't be sleeping tonight," she said. "My father can't sleep either; he's been calling everyone he knows. I just got off the phone with our other sister in Georgia, telling her, 'Look here, I've never asked you to vote, but please go out and vote this time.' We're mobilising everyone, because this country is filled with opportunities and freedoms, and we don't want the doors closed on anyone who deserves a fair chance," Dickens-Phillips said in a thinly-veiled jab at Trump, who many migrants fear may make life difficult for them.