Illinois Muslim Civic Coalition-Activate

Recommendation Strategy and Process

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The Illinois Muslim Civic Coalition-Activate is a 501c4 non-profit organization. We are a partnership of hundreds Influencers, and Organizations that serve across the state. We made our first round of endorsements with partners in the fall 2018 elections and for one of the first times, the Muslim community has a statewide brand that people could stand behind and that candidates would vie for.

This document is based on the best practices from other organizations such as The People’s Lobby, ONE People’s Campaign, Asian American Midwest Progressives and others.

Difference Between SUPPORT & RECOMMENDATION

SUPPORT. The Coalition-Activate supports Muslim candidates by training candidates, connecting candidates to resources, sharing their names and websites.

RECOMMENDATION. The Coalition-Activate only Recommends candidates that meet the criteria in this document. The Coalition-Activate does not Recommend based solely on faith or religious background. Recommendation is a political investment - both for the candidate and the endorsing organization. Recommendations must be strategic, must be fair, must have clear criteria, must come with funding/field support. Otherwise, both sides lose credibility.

Why Have Recommendations?

Coalition-Activate 501c4 organization will, during election cycles for local, state, or federal elections, find it beneficial to Recommend candidates in our efforts to build and wield political power through:

• Relationship Building with candidates and elected officials in order to co-govern with them

• Targeted GOTV and field work aligned with Recommendations in a campaign cycle

• Strengthening the Coalition Base and capturing the mobilizing energy of elections and voters

• Influencing the overall political issue environment by connecting a positive or negative public stance by a candidate to issues of concern for the Coalition

Overview of Recommendation Process

1. Convene an Recommendation Committee that leads the Coalition-Activate process

2. Select races to Recommend in (see “Process for Selecting Races” below)

3. Review written questionnaire to disseminate to candidates and make revisions as needed each election cycle - IL Muslim Civic Coalition Recommendation Questionnaire

4. Email questionnaires to all candidates in races identified as priorities for the 2020 election cycle

5. Once responses are submitted, members review candidate responses

6. Optional/if possible/if needed: Invite selected candidates to an in person interview attended by members of the Recommendation Committee, staff, and/or Coalition-Activate’s 501c4 board

7. Committee deliberates and makes a Recommendation or no-Recommendation, or other to the board.  60% threshold required for an Recommendation.

8. Coalition-Activate 501c4 Board votes to ratify or veto the Recommendation of the committee. Recommendations may also be made in groups, and not all at once.

9. Once Recommendations are finalized, the Coalition-Activate will do the following things:

• Press Release, email and Social Media/Networks Posts. We will work with candidate's team to finalize.

• Voter Engagement Support - phone-banking and/or door-knocking, other opportunities to engage with voters

• Financial Support recommendations shared with members

• Above actions will have a legal review by our Legal Team

Process for Selecting Races

The Coalition-Activate’s Recommendation Committee is tasked with selecting the races in which we will initiate an Recommendation process. They will consider the following:

1. Is this a district where we have civic influence and/or want to build more influence? Strategic opportunity for the Coalition and Muslim voters to be the margin of victory.

2. Will the outcome of the race impact an issue that the Coalition cares deeply about; or that we are already working on?

3. What are the political risks of making or not making an Recommendation in this race? For example, is there a risk of splitting our base? Or opportunity to grow it? Is there a risk of alienating allies or will we attract new allies?

4. Opportunity for us to build/broaden our base and/or Coalition-Activate in the geographic area or through campaigns?

5. Are our partners and members genuinely excited to support this candidate with their time, money and credibility?

Recommendation Criteria for Candidates

The criteria below are meant to provide a framework for a nuanced discussion about candidates. Not every item on the list is a yes/no question -- a candidate’s lack of one criterion does not necessarily disqualify them from Recommendation.

Candidates must go through the process outlined above.

Coalition-Activate does not automatically Recommend Muslim candidates- we Recommend candidates who meet our core values towards a strong and equitable America.

A. Candidate Story

• History of involvement in local community/neighborhood

• Demonstrated leadership / impact on community issues, inclusion, social justice

B. Platform/Issues

• On the issues identified in the Coalition-Activate’s Recommendation Questionnaire

C. Relationships

• Relationship’s with partner orgs, ally orgs, divergent orgs, local orgs

• Significant Recommendations, donors, affiliations w/ other orgs/individuals

D. Campaign Path to Victory

• Must have field plan

• Demonstrated ability to raise funds to compete

• Assess campaign narrative/communications

E. Coalition-Activate’s Capacity

• Our capacity to offer support, fieldwork, and financial contributions in the race

• Can we make a difference with our support?

Rescinding a Recommendation

If, upon further review, or upon actions by a candidate which the Coalition-Activate deems against our mission and core values (See Coalition Impact Strategy), the Coalition-Activate 501c4 board may rescind the Recommendation of a candidate/official. Coalition-Activate staff will take appropriate action to communicate the rescinding of the endorsement.