What matters to the Indian American voter? Premium

Georgia's Indian American community discusses key issues in the upcoming election, highlighting diverse perspectives and priorities for voters.

When I immigrated from India a decade ago, I couldn’t find another Indian in my big neighbourhood in Georgia’s Cobb County. Now, I have two on my street. One of them even has — what else — an Indian restaurant nearby. I see Indian moms in sarees out for an evening stroll, their children participating in Easter and Halloween celebrations. Last year, I heard fireworks on Diwali for the first time. The growing population of Indian Americans is apparent even beyond my immediate neighbourhood.

Seeing how vital Indian Americans as a voting block in Georgia have become in this presidential race, I talked to a broad cross-section of voters from the community to put a finger on what is most important to them. Edited excerpts:

Running for Georgia State Senate on a Democratic ticket, 25-year-old Ramaswami is among the young Indian Americans seeking increasing political engagement in the country. An undergraduate in computer science from Stanford, he followed it up with a Master’s in law from Georgetown University. Growing up in the shadow of gun violence, he stands for common-sense gun laws, and reproductive rights, and wants to utilize his background in technology for economic growth and better education. 

Economy and taxation are important for Manish (last name withheld on request). He is a long-time Republican who would have voted for “a man with integrity, like Mike Pence”. But he is voting Democrat this time — not so much as a vote for Harris but as “a protest against Trump”. He believes that the government works best when Democrats and Republicans come together and discuss an idea. That’s not happening anymore and that’s part of the current paralysis in the government.

Owner of popular Indian restaurants, Patel is a well-known figure in Atlanta’s business community. He can be seen hard at work on all days but worries that hard work may not be enough in these times. He has seen many of his friends lose gas stations, convenience stores, and restaurants. Economic survival feels most important to him. A Republican himself, his children are voting Democrat in this election for the progressive values.

Running for State Representative in Georgia on a Republican ticket, Reddy has been active in Georgia’s political landscape for many years. A successful real estate businessman, he co-founded a national bank and has been serving on the Board of Georgia Regional Transportation Authority for the past 20 years. He understands that people like Trump’s policies but not his rhetoric, though he does not think that Trump’s rhetoric creates the feeling of unsafety that some voters have talked about. In fact, public safety is one of the campaign issues for him. He also points out that he is campaigning for himself, not Trump. 

A socialist entrepreneur from Nashville, Tennessee, Surti serves as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the International Hindi Association and has been Chairman of the Board of M.K. Gandhi Institute for Non-Violence. He has also founded many cultural and literary community organisations in Tennessee. He says he is a champion of women’s rights and is very proud of his daughter “who looks and talks like Kamala”. Surti says it is time America elected a woman president. “India, Britain, Israel, Sri Lanka, Germany have elected them almost 60 years ago and proved that they can run a country efficiently.” Surti has voted for both sides over the years, but this time, his vote goes to the Democrats.