Indian Americans in city vote despite pandemic, weigh in on significance of this year’s election

For Sandeep Narayan, a 36-year-old resident of Chennai registered to vote in Los Angeles, voting this year was simple. “I usually go to the States often for work, and the last few years I’ve voted through mail early while at home. This year, I knew that I needed to be prepared well in advance, so I filled for the ballot sheet to be sent to me in September. Once I filled it in, I sent it through the Consulate, and got news last week that it had been accepted. I’m glad, because I thought it might not make it due to the pandemic,” he shared.

For others, like Akshay Anantapadmanabhan, the mail-in ballot was a complex affair, as he is registered to vote in New Jersey, which has different laws surrounding mail-in ballots. Therefore, the 32-year-old was unable to vote this year, but that has not deterred him. “We have an electoral college, and my state is mostly leaning towards one party. So I wasn’t worried. But I was encouraging my friends, especially those in certain key states, to go out and vote this year. It was pretty disheartening to not be able to take part actively this year, but I know my state will pull through,” he said.

This year, the Democratic party has elected Joe Biden as their presidential representative, and Kamala Harris as their vice-president elect. Although there is much news on Harris’ ties to the city and the nation, interestingly, this has not swayed much of locals’ votes. “More than Harris, I was a resident in the US when Biden was Obama’s Vice President. So I knew first-hand what their party intended to do and how they functioned,” said Akshay.