According to a study conducted by Pew Research Center, there are more than 3 million Muslim Americans in the United States today, with many living in ‘swing states’. Muslim Americans, when politically literate and civically engaged, have the potential for immense impact on American politics.
Emgage’s critical work to politically mobilize Muslim American communities was showcased in 2020 by launching the historic Million Muslim Votes campaign.
Emgage leads Muslim American voter mobilization efforts by utilizing a data-driven approach to target where engagement on issues important to our community could yield effective impact. This, supplemented with sophisticated programming in partnership with allied organizations, is the beginning of a new movement in Muslim American communities.
Emgage is dedicated to bridging the gap between the electorate and the policies that affect their lives, through grassroots efforts such as voter registration campaigns, absentee ballot drives, candidate forums, statewide phone banking and canvassing, organizing early voting events, and nonpartisan issue guides.
Townhalls
Town hall forums offer the community to rapidly mobilize and engage officials in response to urgent issues and hold them responsible. These organized forums allows constituents the ability to ask key questions, voice their opinions and get answers. Townhalls help to address important policy issue and current events that affect the community. Educating constituents through town halls helps shape our national politics, and informing the public about important issues and policy options available to tackle them.
Candidate Forums
Candidate forums offer an interactive opportunity for constituents to engage their prospective candidates before electing them into public office. Forums are the beginning steps to developing constructive partnerships on issues important that will affect your community. Emgage works to foster these relationships by hosting candidate forums in our chapter states, and connecting our members with their local representative and vice versa.
Phonebanking
Amidst all the savvy technology, numbers, and creative marketing – person to person connection is the single most effective tool of mobilization. Phonebanking is a vital component of grassroots community organizing. Emgage offers empowering guidance, training and resources for communities to organize their own phonebanks to reach more voters, and mobilize the vote on important issues.
Voter Registration
Voting is a fundamental right that all American Muslim citizens have the duty to exercise. Voter registration is a grassroots effort to get individuals engaged, and registered to get out the vote at the polls. Every vote matters, and it is imperative that we register as many Muslim Americans as possible.