Meet the Newest South Asian American Voters

Reston, Virginia resident Sitara Chauhan, 35, has never voted in a national election. Her lack of participation isn’t because she’s disengaged from politics. Quite the opposite: while attending college in Alaska, she was part of the student government and lobbied then Alaska Governor Sarah Palin for more generous scholarships. In 2012, she attended President Barack Obama’s inauguration. Since, she’s phone banked and knocked on doors for causes she’s passionate about. 

The only thing stopping Chauhan, who works in technical sales in biotech, from voting was her citizenship status. Though she moved to Alaska in 2007 from Pune, India, she didn’t become a U.S. citizen until decades later, in October 2023. “The whole concept of taxation without representation is important to me, and it just felt strange that I’ve lived here for so long, but I’ve never had a voice,” said Chauhan. “Kind of bizarre voting for the first time as a [35-year-old] with two children, it’s a different perspective.” 

Chauhan is among 3.5 million new citizens who will be voting for the first time in November, alongside 8 million who’ve aged into the minimum voting age of 18. For the first-time South Asian American voters The Juggernaut spoke to, their immigrant experience is central to their political identity.