When University of Virginia junior Neela Pal attended the third annual Indian Heritage Festival in Gaithersburg, Maryland, this June, she wasn't there to purchase colorful bindis, savor hot pakoras or watch bhangra dances. Her goal was a loftier one—to get Indian Americans at the festival registered to vote. Pal was one of 18 volunteers from the Indian American Center for Political Awareness, a national, nonpartisan nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the participation of Indian Americans in the political process.

The volunteers canvassed the festival all day, approaching attendees and asking them to fill out voter registration forms. But it was slow going—after four hours of hard work, the nine teams of two had managed to register just 40 people. Pal, a member of the IACPA's Washington Leadership Program, had attended a training session for the voter registration process the day before. She was told that she would likely encounter resistance, and her experience confirmed that training. "People were wary of giving out personal information," she recalls. "Some felt taken aback that we were conducting a voter registration drive in that setting ... Some people thought we were trying to sell something—but all we were doing was trying to secure one of their rights as citizens of this country."

A right that is, unfortunately, rarely exercised. According to the 2000 US Census, there are more than 2.2 million South Asian Americans, 1.9 million of whom are Indian American. Yet a recent report released by the IACPA indicates that only 37.75 percent of eligible Indian Americans voted in the last election. While the numbers for other South Asian American groups are more difficult to ascertain, it's unlikely that the figures are much different. But with such a close presidential race in 2000, and another close race predicted for this November, there is no doubt that the South Asian American population has the potential to form a significant voting bloc, particularly in the battleground swing states such as Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Why so much resistance to voting? Though the trend is beginning to change, theories that explain South Asian American voter apathy abound. IACPA executive director Christopher Dumm speculates that some apathy stems from a holdover of perceptions of the Indian political system, in which vote buying and bribery are common. "There's a negative attitude toward politicians," he says. Others theorize that some South Asian Americans fear having to serve on jury duty if they register to vote. Pal believes that because many South Asians experience a better quality of life in the United States than they did in the countries from which they emigrated, they may not see voting as essential to their everyday lives. Dr Narsi Narsimhan, founder of the Indian Professional Network, told Khabar magazine that voter apathy among the community is part of a larger general political apathy. "The focus was on making a living in the United States instead of integrating with politics here," he explains. Narsimhan adds that "the second generation is gaining much more progress in politics."

The changing trend is in no small part owed to several organizations that have made it their mission to increase voter registration and turnout among South Asian Americans. While the IACPA only occasionally conducts voter registration drives due to the large amount of volunteers they require, it isn't the only one working to get South Asians into that voting booth come November 2.

SAAVY
Tanzila Ahmed, a 25-year-old University of Southern California graduate, is at the forefront of these ballot-baiters. After working with the Center for Environmental Citizenship as a youth organizer, Ahmed wondered why there weren't any South Asian activists organizing on a national level. But she didn't waste her time wondering for long—instead, she took a leap and wrote a proposal detailing an organization that would help create a South Asian youth voting bloc. And what a leap it was: Ahmed quit her job, moved back home to Los Angeles, attended a youth organizing strategy conference and handed out copies of her proposal to people she met. In October 2003, SAAVY—South Asian American Voting Youth—was born. Though Ahmed was the only full-time member, SAAVY garnered attention and soon, she had amassed a board of about 18 members and volunteers around the country.

SAAVY's goal is ambitious: To implement a national campaign that registers 15,000 young South Asians to vote and turns out 10,000 South Asians to the polls. Activities revolve around training people to register voters and get out the vote through its "VOTE SAAVY" project. This fall, SAAVY turns its focus campus-ward, offering paid fellowships to student organizers around the country. These organizers will receive training, mentorship and resources to implement local voter registration campaigns. "There are so many South Asian youth in this country who want to organize but aren't supported. We wanted to be able to support them, give them resources, training and mentoring opportunities so that they can run successful campaigns," says Ahmed.

If that's not enough, SAAVY also holds "Training for Trainers" sessions around the country, where organizers can learn the ins and outs of voter registration, voter education, canvassing, fund raising and more. And you'll probably find that SAAVY has been somewhere near you—Ahmed recently attended the North American Bengali Conference, talking with interested youth about conducting successful voter registration campaigns. In April, SAAVY trained college students from across the country in Orlando, Florida. The next generation of South Asian American political activists learned how to work with the South Asian community and even got some hands-on experience, registering 100 voters by knocking on 200 doors and calling 500 households.

Around the same time, SAAVY partnered with an organization called South Asian American Leaders of Tomorrow. During the 2000 elections, SAALT ran a program called South Asians Vote through which it organized voter registration drives at mosques, temples and gurdwaras in the Washington, DC, area. With no plans to implement a similar campaign in 2004, SAALT became a fiscal sponsor for SAAVY this spring. Together, they hope to empower and motivate South Asian American youth to help shape the 2004 elections.

Project IMPACT
While SAAVY focuses on the youth vote, Project IMPACT sets its sights on the larger picture. A nonprofit, nonpartisan organization comprised of young professionals and community leaders dedicated to the Gandhian proposition that "you must be the change you wish to see in the world," Project IMPACT's mission is to increase the civic awareness and participation of South Asian Americans.

One way of achieving that mission is the 2004 Voter IMPACT Strategy, a campaign to energize the South Asian American community for the November elections. Project IMPACT executive board member Gail Dave explains that while the organization focused its attention on voter education for the first half of the year, it has now shifted its attention to voter registration. In the crucial month of October, Project IMPACT stresses the get out the vote effort, encouraging people to actually get to the polls. IMPACT's local chapters are converging to desi hotspots—community centers, mosques and mandirs—to give potential voters a chance to register. "It's very much a grassroots effort," says Dave.

And grassroots seems to be going well: Palash Pandya, Project IMPACT's New York/New Jersey chapter lead, explains, "The drives have been very successful. We have been holding them for two years in areas where many South Asians are located, such as Jackson Heights, Jersey City and Edison. Many who have registered have said to us that they have wanted to register but did not know how or did not realize how easy it was." During one drive, a man even took a form home for his wife, had her fill it out and brought it back to make sure it was done correctly. Such stories indicate that the problem may not be apathy, but a lack of knowledge and know-how.

IMPACT has a history of getting the desi vote, and organizers hope this year will be no different. In 2002 the Boston chapter of Project IMPACT partnered with Toby Chaudhuri, a former Clinton administration appointee and deputy press secretary to Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign, to sponsor a voter turnout campaign. Called Mass Desi vote, the campaign increased voter turnout by raising money, compiling voter guides and collecting data about registered South Asian voters. Coordinators in each of Massachusetts' 10 congressional districts organized field teams who contacted South Asian voters through phone calls and mailings. Dave hopes to implement a similar effort this year, though she says "it's going to be more of a challenge to see what information we have access to." And though Dave admits that the process of running such campaigns is a difficult effort, it's worth the outcome. "I think it's important for all Americans to vote. We're just as much American as anyone else," she declares.

SAKI2004 and the IARC
Not all South Asian political awareness organizations are nonpartisan, however. As the South Asian American community garners more and more attention, both politicians and organizers alike are realizing the importance of the South Asian vote. Even the two major political parties are beginning to take notice. In a recent Wall Street Journal article, former Clinton administration staffer Nishith Acharya says that both Republicans and Democrats are seeking out this relatively wealthy community that hasn't yet become entrenched in a particular party. "Both parties are making a big push to convince our community that they're the party that represents it best," he says. Both the Democratic and Republican national conventions this year featured prominent delegations of South Asians.

And South Asian Americans have formed organizations that reflect their affiliations with both parties. The Indian American Republican Council is one such group. Founded in 2002, the IARC works to help Indian Americans work with the Republican Party on every level and to harness the intellectual capital of the Indian American community to service the nation. While the IARC's main objective is to provide grassroots activism to build support for Republican candidates and policies, it has also conducted voter registration drives and literature drops. Sam Malhotra, chairman of the Maryland branch of the IARC, says "the Republican Party represents the core values of the Indian American community ... We fear that since the Clinton administration, the Democratic Party has veered to the left and now supports policies that are not in the interest of our community. The Democratic Party is increasingly hostile to religion, shares the values of Hollywood and will put up walls to outsourcing and investment in India rather than giving people the freedom to innovate and prosper ... We believe that the GOP's focus on faith, family, entrepreneurship and opportunity are good for the nation and good for Indian Americans."

Reshma Saujani is not so sure. A graduate of Yale Law School, Saujani is one of the founding members of South Asians for Kerry in 2004, an organization dedicated to fund raising, voter registration and policy initiatives in the South Asian community. She believes the Bush administration has done tremendous harm: "He [Bush] lost 3 million jobs. He has squandered overwhelming budget surpluses, resulting in a projected 10-year deficit of up to $5 trillion that has harmed the economy's long-term growth prospects and undermined investor confidence. Internationally, Bush has prevented America from taking a more proactive role in brokering peace in South Asia, the Middle East and elsewhere. The negative effects of these narrow-minded economic and foreign policies will be felt for years to come."

With such passionate beliefs, Saujani was one of a several South Asian Americans rallying behind Senator John Kerry for president. She started South Asians for Kerry in the New York area, while others organized similar groups in Boston, Washington, DC, and California. The organizers came together in March 2003 to form South Asians for Kerry in 2004. Members of the organization seem to agree on why Kerry would serve the South Asian American community. SAKI DC's president Rushabh Doshi says, "John Kerry is good for South Asians for many of the same reasons he is good for most Americans. He has a better solution for many important issues such as health care, science and technology, small business, Social Security, education, international diplomacy and domestic discrimination."

To date, SAKI 2004 has been wildly successful. In July, South Asians for Kerry hosted a fund-raiser breakfast at Pier 92 in New York. Five hundred people contributed money to see Senators Hillary Clinton and Charles Schumer and candidates John Kerry and John Edwards speak. The event was even chaired by a high profile group that included Ismail Merchant (of the filmmaking team Merchant and Ivory) and Vikram Chatwal (luxury hotelier and son of New York restaurateur Sant Chatwal). The event, which was the only Kerry/Edwards function exclusively with the South Asian community, raised $1 million for the Kerry campaign.

But voter registration is also an important part of SAKI's activities. Doshi claims that his "objective is to get as many South Asians registered to vote and interested in politics. I find it astonishing that so many in our community don't vote. This is the most important election in our lifetime and we must make sure our voices are heard." To achieve that objective, SAKI has organized voter phone banks, held voter registration drives and campaigned and canvassed around the country. The results have been impressive, especially because the organization has brought together a sometimes disjointed group. Saujani remarks, "When I first began, people told me it would be impossible to mobilize Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan and Bangladeshi Americans under one umbrella. Through an amazing group of thoughtful leaders, volunteers, business leaders and community leaders, we have accomplished the seemingly impossible, and this is just the beginning."