On September 27, 2003, alumni from the Indian American Center for Political Awareness' (IACPA) Washington Leadership Program (WLP) conducted a highly successful voter registration drive at the annual Gujarati Samaj Garba in Atlanta. The annual event attracts several thousand people from all over the southeast United States.

The voter registration drive was led by three students from the University of Georgia. All three are alumni of the WLP, which offers outstanding Indian American students internships on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Participants in the program work in Congressional offices and attend meetings and functions set up by IACPA that expose them to the inner workings of politics, public policy and government. All three participants claim that it is through this program they learned the value and importance of voting and political activism.

Several students from local high schools and area colleges joined the organizers, Harin Contractor, Sophie Qureshi and Sundeep Sood, in this drive. Contractor explains that, "having young people lead this drive is a sign to the entire community that the second generation is ready to take on the challenges that face our community."

Sood, who stated that according to census data, only about 30% of Indian Americans are registered to vote, explained the need for this effort. "We believe one of the major reasons why the Indian American community is lacking in political clout is because of our lack of voter turnout," he said. Qureshi echoed this by saying, "Campaign donations can only do so much. We need to demonstrate that we have the votes to back this up."

In registering people to vote, organizers also stressed to community members the importance to go out and vote on Election Day. Flyers were passed out that touched on some important issues that can be influenced by voting, such as hate crimes, immigration reform and education.

The successful drive registered over fifty Indian Americans to vote, and was nearly double the local government's previous high of thirty names in a single registration drive. Over the past two years, this drive has registered over 190 Indian Americans to vote. IACPA Chairman, Mr. Gopal Raju said, "This type of event is what our community needs to start doing more of. I'm very happy to see young people in the Indian American community taking such a pro-active step to raise awareness and get people involved. It is initiatives like this that will allow our community to take a visible and effective role in politics and government."

IACPA is a national non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the participation of the Indian American community in public policy and the political process. IACPA is also a strong advocate for stronger civil rights and better immigration and hate crimes legislation. It works with several national and local grassroots organizations to publicize and effect change on issues affecting the Indian American community. For additional information on IACPA, please visit their website at www. or call at .