Election 2024 and Muslim Voters

By Aslam Abdullah

Elections are an essential part of democracy. Every year, Americans elect thousands of representatives at various levels to govern our affairs. Where do we Muslims fit in the electoral process? What role we can play in strengthening our democratic institutions? Where can we be most effective based on our voting presence? We cannot carve out our path without looking at the electoral realities. In this series on elections, we will look at the demographic and political profile of each state and identify states and districts where our voices can be heard effectively. This first in the series is an introduction to the electoral battles shaping up in the country.

There are 519,682 elected officials in the US. 96% of them hold local, 3.6 state and .1%feseral offices

The 542 federal offices include the President, Vice President, 100 U.S. Senators (two from each state), 435 U.S. Representatives, four delegates to the House of Representatives from U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia, a Resident Commissioner from the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

President

In November 2023, Biden and Trump will essentially fight for 46 seats in the Presidential Electoral College. Ninety-nine of them are in Pennsylvania, 11 in Arizona, 10 in Wisconsin, and 6 in Nevada.

Based on current poll analysis, Republicans have 251 electoral college votes, while Democrats have 24. The situation may change.

Senate

Of the 33 Senate races, the Democrats are defending 20, the Republicans 11, and Independents 2, Ohio and Montana’s races are toss-ups

House

Of the 435 House seats, 30 Republicans and 40 Democrats are in contest. Democrats and Republicans are locked in 18 toss-ups.

Governor

Of the eleven states having a gubernatorial election, two have toss-ups. They are Ohio and New Hampshire.

State Legislatures

12 state chambers are competitive—either Lean Republican, Toss-up, or Lean Democratic. .

— The GOP currently holds 7 of the competitive chambers, while the Democrats hold 4 of the competitive chambers. One other chamber, the Alaska Senate, is controlled by a cross-partisan alliance.

Seven of the competitive chambers are rated Toss-up. This category includes the Alaska Senate, three Republican-held chambers (the Arizona Senate, the Arizona House, and the New Hampshire House), and three Democratic-held chambers (the Michigan House, the Minnesota House, and the Pennsylvania House).