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Tennessee Conservative News [By Olivia Lupia] –
The American Muslim Advisory Council (AMAC), a Tennessee nonprofit dedicated to increasing civic engagement among Muslims and collaborating with the state government to shape public policy, organized a “Muslim Vote Day” in Memphis on August 1, encouraging Muslim voters to gather and “vote with your Muslim community”.
The flyer, which was spread across social media and advertised on the AMAC website’s election resources page, listed times at specific polling locations Muslim voters could not only congregate with other likeminded individuals, but also access “nonpartisan voting guides”, snacks, and translations to Arabic, Amharic/Harari, and French.
Help with transportation was also provided and the polling places were all listed in relation to their distance from the closest mosque or Muslim community center.
And on July 31, AMAC, in conjunction with the Islamic Association of Greater Memphis (IAGM) and local mosques, also sponsored a candidate forum for Congressional Districts 5, 8, and 9 at the Memphis Islamic Center so Muslims could learn where candidates stand on “issues affecting your family and your community.”
While claiming to be nonpartisan, the organization works to “protect all Tennesseans from prejudice and targeted violence”, partnering with other allied nonprofits and communities “for events and actions that advance justice,” including offering “cultural competency training for organizations that serve Muslim populations” and working “regularly with law enforcement against [anti-Muslim] bias incidents & targeted violence.”
AMAC has continually advocated for not only pro-Muslim policies, but also other progressive causes including lobbying against the legislature’s recent English only driver license bills, opposing the deployment of the National Guard as part of the Memphis Safe Task Force in 2025, and subtly encouraging Memphis voters to support gun control referendums in 2024.
According to AMAC’s 2025 Impact Report, the organization has ensured “that Tennessee’s Muslim community is central to legislative discussions” through “persistent advocacy and powerful community mobilization,” including helping defeat several “discriminatory bills” and hosting a Muslim Day on the Hill, which had over 120 student participants from across the state.
They also boast of taking actions to defend civil liberties, claiming “our community encountered increased threats from xenophobic policies, state surveillance, and systemic barriers limiting access and opportunities,” and advocating for “immigrant communities, unhoused residents, and communities of color.”
But the Muslim community is not the only one attempting to mobilize voters in a year where many races, especially in the Memphis area, will be tight.
Shelby County Democrats have been working diligently to get voters to the polls amid the redistricting which cracked the state’s only Democrat-favored congressional district into three new districts, causing it to become a Republican-likely area and firing up local liberals to compensate with voter turnout.
Progressive and predominately black churches in the area have also been assisting in these efforts alongside the local Muslim community, having “Souls to the Polls” rallies, hosting radically left-wing politicians like Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Justin Pearson, and initiating Get Out The Vote campaigns.
Per KWAM Mighty 990 news radio out of Memphis on August 1, “We really did try to warn the GOP about the mobilization of black churches, Muslims, and white progressive churches in Shelby County. We were told that it was not a big deal and we were just scaremongering…As we predicted the black churches and white progressive churches and the pastors were mobilized to get out the vote- resulting in a huge turnout for Democrats- over 2 to 1 margin. The white suburban congregations were quiet as a church mouse. Not to vote, is to vote.”
Data from the Secretary of State’s Office confirms the Mighty 990’s assertations, showing Democrat early voting turnout to have significantly outpaced Republican, with 61,608 total voters to Republicans’ 27,630. Additionally, Democrats saw a turnout increase of roughly 17% compared to the 2018 primary elections and about 16.75% from 2022 while Republican numbers went negative, dropping 16.5% compared to 2018 and almost 12% from 2022.
One comment reacting to the Muslim Vote Day perhaps most straightforwardly challenges Tennesseans wishing to preserve the vestiges of conservatism in the state as several non-conservative factions work to implement their own agendas: “They are serious about voting. Are we?”
Election Day is August 6, 2026, with polls open 7am to 7pm.
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
