ELECTIONS GUIDE--2001
Understandably for many Americans, much of our attention has centered on the September 11th terrorist attacks, the ensuing war in Afghanistan, and bio-terrorism. Never before have we faced the kind of terror we have experienced over the past weeks on American soil. It is clear that the events of September 11th and the following weeks have changed us all.
With much of the media focusing on the previously mentioned events, many of us have forgotten that the 2001 November elections are less than two weeks away. And while the 2001 elections do not have federal elections, and features only two gubernatorial and state legislative elections, and several metropolitan mayoral elections, the importance of these elections are no less than any other year - especially for the Indian American community.
The Virginia and New Jersey general elections and the New York City mayoral elections, alone, will affect more than 100,000 Indian Americans. That is 25% of the entire Indian American community. The economic downturn, fiscal responsibility, crisis management, and racial relations have dominated the debates and are relevant to the Indian American community.
Sadly, it is expected that voter apathy will reign over the 2001 elections with voter turnout expected to be an all-time low. In New Jersey for example, a recent NJ Star Ledger/Eagleton-Rutgers Poll, released on October 21, 2001, stated that 9% of those polled were watching the NJ gubernatorial election "very closely" - a drop from 17% three weeks earlier. The poll's director said that between 20%-25% of likely voters are usually following campaigns at this point. The poll also indicated that only 14% of likely voters reported watching the first televised gubernatorial debate on October 10th. That's less than half the number that watched gubernatorial debates in the last two gubernatorial elections.
With these factors in mind, IACPA strongly urges the Indian American community to participate in this year's elections. While there may not be a common agenda and our community is politically fragmented, it is nonetheless important for us to exercise their right to vote.
Why? Indian American small business owners may be concerned about government assistance in helping those industries negatively impacted by the September 11th attacks. The Sikh American community must select candidates that they feel will best represent their needs as a community - especially after several racial profiling and hate crime incidents that occurred subsequent to the September 11th attacks. Young Indian American couples may be interested on the candidate's commitment to improving our educational system.
Below, IACPA has provided its second annual election guide. IACPA has provided detailed information and links on the Virginia and New Jersey general elections and the New York City Mayoral election. Links have also been provided on the major metropolitan mayoral elections.
We are proud to note there are eight Indian Americans seeking public office in New York and New Jersey alone. For additional information on their campaigns, please refer to www./. While there may be additional Indian American campaigns, these campaigns were brought to our attention.
Gubernatorial and State Legislative Elections
