Advocacy organization HinduPACT announces launch of HinduVote.org website

- ADVERTISEMENT -

Describing it as the “first of its kind in the history of the American Hindu community,” the advocacy organization HinduPAC (Hindu Policy Research and Advocacy Collective) said it has officially launched its website, HinduVote.org, to help voters select Federal candidates based on their support for issues that are important to the Hindu diaspora.

In an Oct. 12, 2022, press release, the organization said the launch of the “comprehensive” website follows “months of research, dedication and perseverance.”

The website consists of location-based listing of candidates for the House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, biographical and social media details of the candidates, responses from the candidates on a Hindu-focused questionnaire, and HinduPACT’s assessment of legislative votes that are deemed of importance by the incumbents and federal candidates, the press release said.

“The website uses the power of crowdsourcing to express the sentiment of the Hindu community by providing the constituents with an opportunity to rate the candidates based on the positions they have taken,” the press release said.

All Federal incumbents and candidates will receive the questionnaires this week. The Midterm elections are scheduled for November 8.

The questionnaire covers the issue of “growing hate campaigns against Hindus across the country” and about U.S. foreign policy that affect Hindu communities across the world.

“The American Hindu community is peaceful, affluent and productive. They are, in many ways, the model community in any society in which they reside. They have held massive economic power in their hands for sometime now. This HinduVote initiative is the first step in claiming the political power that they should have been afforded a while ago,” Rakhi Israni, director of Legal for HinduPACT, is quoted saying in the press release.

 Convener of HinduPACT, Ajay Shah estimated there were 6 million Hindus in America and an additional six million followers of dharmic traditions — Buddhist, Jain and Sikhs.

“Conservatively, we estimate that around 5% of the voters are the followers of dharmic traditions.,” Shah said, and that could count in close races.

“HinduVote.org is a community resource to inform and educate the Hindu community and to ensure a Congress that understands, respects and fulfills the aspirations of the American Hindu community,” Shah added.

HinduPACT Executive Director Utsav Chakrabarti said, “As the fastest growing immigrant population in the U.S. amongst all religious groups, American Hindus now constitute one of the most decisive voting groups in at least five states,” which could mean close Senate races being decided by the Hindu voter.

“Because of concentrated voters in many districts, a lot more House seats will be decided by Hindu voters, Chakrabarti contended, adding, “HinduVote.org will change the way constituents evaluate, engage with and ultimately vote for candidates.”