Yahoo news: Muslim and Arab Voters May Have Secured Biden's Michigan Win

Muslim and Arab Voters May Have Secured Biden's Michigan Win

Arab and Muslim communities likely substantially contributed to Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s victory in Michigan, according to local activists and organizers.

Emgage Action, a Muslim civic advocacy organization that endorsed Biden, said that approximately 81,000 Muslim Americans cast early and absentee votes in the state. (The exact number of votes cast by Muslim Americans in Michigan is not yet known.) Biden beat President Donald Trump by roughly 150,000 votes in Michigan, where Hillary Clinton lost by just 11,000 votes in 2016.

Muslim American groups and activists focused on rallying voters before Election Day — setting up phone banks and virtual town halls aimed at maximizing turnout, especially in battleground states. Those efforts, they said, paid off and Michigan is an example of that.

“Where would the Democrats be without those 81,000 Muslims?” said Nada Al-Hanooti, executive director of Emgage’s Michigan chapter. She said her organization had been working every day since August to register a record number of Muslims as part of their nationwide Million Muslim Votes campaign, and added that Biden’s victory in Michigan could not have happened without the Muslim and Arab vote.