At the Festival of India celebrations at the Gwinnett Civic Center on August 14th, volunteers dressed in bright yellow t-shirts with the word “VOTE” on the back were on a mission. The Georgia Indian American Political Action Committee (GIAPAC) volunteers succeeded in registering over 100 new voters as part of their empowerment and political awareness campaign. The activities and material were sponsored by Mr. Mike Patel of Horizon Bank. 

“It’s great to see ya’ll again,” remarked the Lt. Governor, Mark Taylor “and I’m glad you are continually doing this at Indian American events” referring to his previous encounter with GIAPAC volunteers at the World Congress Center concert for Jazzy B in April. 

“We are trying to bring political awareness to the Indian American community of Georgia,” said Sumeet Shah, who is part of the GIAPAC core team. “Voter registration is one of our main activities, and registering over 100 people today is tremendous!” 

While there were many non-citizens attending the Festival of India, they were still encouraging of GIAPAC’s efforts to register voters. Jaydeep Natarajan, a software engineer who moved to Atlanta recently felt that “everyone should be registered to vote who has the right to.” 

Others remarked that the non-partisan empowerment message of the organization was a great way to reach community members. “It’s a great thing that you’re doing for the community,” stated Charu Shah as she stood in front of the GIAPAC booth near the entrance of the civic center. “Keep it up! Your energy is contagious.”

GIAPAC’s goal is to reach 500 by the October 4th deadline for the November elections. They plan to continue their presence at other Indian American events as well as other locations, such as shopping areas where the community gathers.

For more information on volunteering or other GIAPAC activities, please visit www.giapac.org.