Voting Rights

Why we’re passionate about voting rights:

GAMVP was founded in 2015 in response to the anti-Muslim, Islamophobic rhetoric used by primary candidates to gain support. Our founder, Aisha Yaqoob, recognized that while our community was under attack and being centered in the political narrative, we were not well-represented, and candidates or elected officials were not reaching out to our communities.

Due to this gap, it was imperative for our communities to organize and mobilize. We registered our communities, educated them about the electoral process, and turned them out to vote, resulting in record turnout amongst the Muslim community in 2020 and 2022. Our community's participation in the electoral process and our advocacy for voting rights allowed us to showcase our power, and others noticed. In 2022, we not only elected four Muslim candidates to the GA state legislature, but we also connected our community members to their elected officials through candidate forums and lobbying.

Before GAMVP was founded, an open dialogue between Muslim constituents and candidates was not possible because our communities were not being reached out to by politicians, candidates, or other civic organizations. We are passionate about voting rights because by participating in the electoral process, our community can ensure that our voices are being centered and our issues are being heard. This way, we can build a better future for ourselves, our families, and our communities.