SMFNews: Muslim Voters Head to the Polls as Midterms Open
On Election Day, American Muslim civic groups are urging eligible voters who have not yet cast a ballot to make a plan, check their registration and polling place, and know their rights at the polls.
In a Nov. 2 statement, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called on Muslim voters and all eligible Americans still waiting to vote to turn out on Tuesday, Nov. 3, for the midterm elections. CAIR directed people to its nonpartisan Muslims.Vote site to confirm registration status, find Election Day locations and review voting-rights guidance.
The push comes a day after community leaders urged turnout while tightening security around houses of worship and polling places.
Make a plan to vote
CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said voters should check registration and polling locations, confirm hours and identification requirements, decide when they will go, and review the public records and issues that matter to them before arriving to vote.
CAIR said its get-out-the-vote program had recorded more than 2.1 million text sends and advertising impressions so far, including roughly 500,000 text messages to a list of about 250,000 Muslim voters in 10 states, plus Meta and streaming-television ads. Combining that work with a separate Muslims.Vote push, the group said it had tracked about 29,400 clicks on Muslims.Vote and about 8,300 register-to-vote actions. CAIR describes the outreach as nonpartisan civic engagement; the organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and does not endorse or oppose candidates.
Early participation and intent to vote
Citing Nov. 1 estimates prepared with Molitico, CAIR identified 88,148 voters on its 250,099-person outreach list who had already voted early or by mail — 35.2%% of that list. The figures exclude the final weekend of early voting and remain subject to additional county reporting, CAIR said. In six states with complete historical voting-method records, early or mail ballots among voters on the list were already 24%% higher than those same voters cast early or by mail during the entire 2022 midterms, according to the group.
A CAIR and CAIR Action survey of American Muslim voters, released Oct. 28, found that 81% of Muslim respondents said they would definitely vote and another 9% said they probably would. Among respondents who did not vote in the 2022 midterms, 74% said they definitely intended to vote this year. The survey of 861 Muslim respondents, conducted Oct. 16–25, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points; CAIR notes that stated intentions are not a forecast of turnout. CAIR estimates there are more than 3 million registered Muslim voters in the United States.
Know your rights at the polls
On Oct. 23, CAIR Maryland released a “Know Your Rights at the Polls” resource encouraging Maryland voters to prepare to vote with confidence and to share the guide with families and community networks. CAIR Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry said no one should have to choose between expressing their faith and exercising the right to vote, and that every voter deserves to participate with dignity, free from discrimination, harassment or intimidation.
CAIR urged voters nationwide to review protections at the polls, document and report intimidation or discrimination, and stay in line if they are waiting when polls close. Muslims.Vote collects registration checks, polling-place look-ups and rights information. The nonpartisan Election Protection hotline is 866-OUR-VOTE.
Exit poll underway; Muslims on the ballot
CAIR and CAIR Action said their 2026 exit poll of Muslim voters was already going out to early voters on Nov. 2 and would continue on Election Day, asking invited respondents how and why they voted. Responses are confidential and reported only in aggregate, the groups said.
Separately, Muslim Network TV reported that it had identified at least 51 Muslim Americans on 2026 midterm ballots in about 23 states, spanning federal, statewide, legislative, county, local and judicial races. MNTV described the figure as a confirmed floor based on candidate listings, civic-group voter guides and news reporting, and said the true number is likely higher.
Why it matters
Election Day closes weeks of early and mail voting. Civic groups say the remaining step for eligible voters who have not yet cast a ballot is practical: confirm where to go, bring any required identification, and vote. Resources from CAIR, CAIR Maryland and Muslims.Vote are framed as nonpartisan tools for participation, not as support for any candidate.
“Election Day is when communities turn intention into action. Eligible American Muslims should make a plan, go vote, and help neighbors do the same, calmly, lawfully, and with confidence in their rights,” said Rahat Husain, executive director of the Shia Muslim Foundation.
Sources: CAIR (Nov. 2, 2026); CAIR Maryland (Oct. 23, 2026); CAIR and CAIR Action survey (Oct. 28, 2026); Muslim Network TV (Oct. 20, 2026); Muslims.Vote.
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