Indian-American Groups Launch Voting Campaigns for Upcoming Elections

As Indian-Americans account for over one per cent of America's population, Indian American groups launch voting campaigns for their community.

In preparation for the midterm elections at the beginning of November, two Indian American groups on Wednesday launched a voting campaign for their community. Indian Americans, accounting for over one per cent of the country’s population, have one of the highest per capita incomes among ethnic groups. As they are concentrated in major states such as New York, New Jersey, California, and Texas, their votes will be decisive in close races in Florida, Atlanta, and Pennsylvania.

The Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS), a US-based non-profit institution for policy research and awareness, began the #IndiAmericanVotesMatter campaign to increase American voters' participation in the US 2022 elections. At this launch, Professor Ved Nanda, a FIIDS advisor, stated that as immigrant minorities, it is not only a civic duty but also an imperative for Indo-Americans to vote in the elections to get their voice heard. FIIDS also said this would encourage more participation in the election and elevate Indo-Americans’ influence on policy matters.

FIIDS director Khanderao Kand reiterated that Democrats and Republicans should recognize Indo-Americans' significance as they are concentrated in critical races spanning states such as Florida, Georgia, Arizona, Virginia, New Jersey, Texas, and California. He also added that this campaign targeted outreach to more than 1000 Indo-American organization leaders to propagate this message to their two million members. They are also launching media advertisements and social media campaigns.

DR. Sampath Shivangi, American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPIO) chairman and a FIIDS patron, opined that it is important for Indo-Americans to participate in the electoral voting process to ascertain our rights, especially concerning religiophobia and discrimination issues against Indo-Americans and a negative campaign against India.

In another development, HinduPACT declared the HinduVote.org website launch to help voters select federal candidates based on their support for issues that are important to the Hindu diaspora. This comprehensive website is the first of its kind in the American Hindu community's history, consisting of a location-based candidate listing for the House of Representatives and US Senate, candidates’ biographical and social media details, candidates’ responses to a Hindu-focused questionnaire, and HinduPACT’s assessment of legislative votes deemed of importance by the incumbent and federal candidates. Furthermore, the website uses the power of crowdsourcing to express the Hindu community sentiment by allowing the constituents to rate the candidates based on the positions they have taken.

Rakhi Israni, Legal for Hindu Pact Director, stated that the American Hindu community is peaceful, affluent, and productive. They are the model community in any society in which they reside and have held massive economic power in their hands. This HinduVote initiative is the first strong step in claiming the political power they should have been afforded a while ago.

In addition, HinduPACT Executive Director, Utsav Chakrabarti, noted that as the fastest-growing immigrant population in the US amongst all religious groups, American Hindus today constitute one of the most decisive voting groups in at least five states. This indicates that the Hindu vote will decide any close Senate races. Due to concentrated voters in many districts, Hindu voters will determine many more House seats. HinduVote.org will change how constituents evaluate, engage with, and ultimately vote for candidates.