‘NaVOTEri’ initiative to reach 15,000 South Asian youth during Navratri

South Asian Impact Foundation (Impact) and the North American Association of Indian Students (NAAIS) have launched a new ‘NaVOTEri’ initiative to promote civic engagement among South Asian American youth during the festive Navratri season.

Set to reach 15,000 youth across the country, the NaVOTEri initiative will sponsor garba events—the lively dance celebrations central to the Indian holiday of Navratri—and other large-scale community events on college campuses, according to a media release.

These sponsorships will include opportunities for attendees to commit to voting, register to vote on the spot, and learn more about the importance of participating in elections.

“Young South Asian Americans are a growing force in our electorate,” said Chintan Patel, Executive Director of the South Asian Impact Foundation. “With NaVOTEri, we’re making sure they understand the power of their vote and how it can shape the future of their communities. By sponsoring these cultural celebrations, we’re making it easy and fun for South Asian youth to pledge to vote and get involved in shaping their future. We’re thrilled to partner with NAAIS on this initiative, ensuring that this important conversation is woven into spaces where young people already feel a sense of connection and belonging.”

Sudhanshu Kaushik, Executive Director of NAAIS, said, “We’re thrilled to partner with Impact to mobilize the Indian American youth vote, recognizing that engaging with South Asian student clubs is critical to that effort. We believe that every cultural event presents a powerful opportunity for students to make an immediate impact on their communities, starting with voting. Since the launch of the NaVOTEri initiative, we’ve witnessed incredible enthusiasm from college clubs eager to integrate civic responsibility into their member experiences. By seizing these opportunities, we are ensuring that civic engagement becomes a natural and integral part of the cultural celebrations for South Asian youth.”

In addition to NaVOTEri, Impact launched a voter resources hub at www.desisvote.org where users can check their voter registration status, make a voting plan, and access a digital toolkit filled with flyers, graphics, memes, and videos promoting voter engagement.

NAAIS and Impact have urged South Asian youth and the broader community to ensure they are registered and ready to vote. “Every vote can make a difference, and the first step is registering,” they said.

As an official community partner for Sep 17 National Voter Registration Day, the Impact also introduced a new Voter Resources Hub and Digital Toolkit.

At desisvote.org, you can check your voter registration and make a plan to vote this election season. The 2024 Digital Toolkit, is filled with flyers, graphics, memes, and videos—all about voting. Translations are included for easy sharing!

“It’s crucial that we get every eligible South Asian American registered to vote, from our seniors to the 235,000+ community members who have naturalized in the past four years, to our just turned 18 friends and children,” the Impact stated.

The Indian American Impact Fund is also selling a brand-new “Vote” tshirt with all proceeds going toward mobilizing South Asian voters in key battleground states. “Show off your ‘Vote’ pride and encourage others to do the same!” it exhorted.