CAIR launches 'Get Out the Jokes' comedy voter drive for US midterm elections

Getting people to go out and vote can be hard, especially in communities where people don't feel like their voices are heard. Humour is one way to break the ice on serious topics, like politics.

This month, the Council on American-Islamic Relations announced the launch of a "Get Out the Votes" Muslim multi-city comedy tour ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.

The tour is hosted by the comedian Moses the Comic, and also features Sabeen Sadiq, Atheer Yacoub, and Omar Regan, all young Muslim comedians of different backgrounds.

The first stop of the tour will be in College Park, Maryland on 25 June. Other stops include Milwaukee, Wisconsin (16 July), Raleigh, North Carolina (30 July), Charlotte, North Carolina (6 August), Charleston, South Carolina (20 August) Charleston, West Virginia (17 September), Nashville, Tennessee (1 October), Washington, DC (29 October), and New Orleans, Louisiana (10 December).

It is part of CAIR’s efforts to boost Muslim voter participation by 200,000 for the upcoming election to reach a total of 1.2 million Muslim voters.

US midterm elections generally have a much lower turnout than general elections, often around 10-20 per cent lower, according to the database Statista.

"We're gonna make you laugh all the way to the ballot box," said Moses, according to a CAIR press release. "And make the politicians cry over this year's record voter turnout!"

"Exercising our right to vote in America is a serious matter," said Nihad Awad, CAIR national executive director. "But there’s certainly no reason why we can't use a little humour to persuade people, especially young voters, to exercise that right."