In December 2023, at age 24, Ashwin Ramaswami ’21 launched his campaign for state senate for Georgia’s 48th district. Ramaswami talked to The Daily in February to explain what led him to run for office and his goals if elected Georgia state senator.

If elected, Ramaswami, who studied computer science at Stanford and was The Daily’s first chief technology officer, would be the state’s first Indian-American state senator. Since announcing his candidacy, he is high over $282,000, has garnered endorsements from a variety of political figures, from House Rep. Lucy McBath and U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff to former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young and California Assemblyman Evan Low. Last month, Ramaswami debated a photo of his opponent, incumbent Shawn Still – one of 19 people defendant on charges of illegally interfering in the results of Georgia’s 2020 election.

Less than a week before Election Day, Ramaswami spoke to The Daily about his campaign so far and his hopes for this week’s election.

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.

The Stanford Daily (TSD): What does your day on the campaign trail look like as we get closer to Election Day? How did your campaign go?

Ashwin Ramaswami (AR): I knew it would be a close race when I decided to run for office, but especially now, we see how much every vote counts. This is one of the highest-profile state senate races in Georgia.

A lot of what we’ve been doing lately has been communicating with voters.

Right now, less than a week before the election, the focus is shifting to getting people to vote.

TSD: The elections are just days away. What are your hopes, both personally and nationally?

AR: I hope the Democrats can win up and down the ballot. I think it’s very clear what the choice is for a country between people like Donald Trump – who tried to subvert our elections, have no respect for institutions or democracy, marginalize minorities, who build campaigns based on ignorance and lies. — versus Harris-Walz, who have focused on bringing people together and have a more inclusive vision for the future. We’ve already seen their campaign bring support from Republicans and bridge that political divide, and I think the same will happen at the local level.

I hope we can really activate my community here and help people understand that in this election there is this choice between someone like me who grew up in my district, has this background in technology and law and wants to move the district forward our. , or someone like Shawn Still, who was criminally indicted with Donald Trump for trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

TSD: How has your age played into how you campaign? More specifically, how do you try to win over voters who might be skeptical of your governing/legislative abilities because of your age?

AR: It definitely made me a more unique candidate, which was actually a big positive. Often when people think of young candidates, they see youth as a disadvantage in the political sphere. But what I’ve found is that it’s actually a big advantage; people have realized that the current system is not working for them and the only way to change it is to bring in new voices and people with new perspectives. There are a lot of people who may not have originally voted for a Democratic candidate, but see my age and background as reasons to vote differently.

I think my age has allowed me to really connect with young people and also… rooted in the community. Many of our past representatives have been what some might call transplants: they grew up elsewhere and moved here when they ran for office. My high school teachers encourage me. People vote for me because they know me and I was classmates with their children.

It doesn’t matter how old you are if you have committed crimes and if you go to prison. This is why I decided to run for office because someone had to stand up to someone like Shawn.

TSD: What values ​​are the basis of your campaign? What drives these values?

AR: The number one priority is restoring reproductive freedom to Georgians. We must repeal Georgia’s abortion ban and restore the protections of Roe v. Wade.

Now that Roe v. Wade was overturned, people have to face the real consequences, which include women dying because they can’t access medical care, or doctors not performing life-saving procedures because they’re worried they’ll be prosecuted.

The next piece here is the gun safety. There was a mass shooting less than an hour from where I live. People move to my district because the schools are good and it’s a safe area to live. It really shakes people up to realize that we have such permissive gun laws that don’t even have basic controls. We don’t have anything like safe storage laws that encourage people to store guns safely so they can’t be misused, or even proper background checks.

TSD: What was going through your mind when you decided to debate that photo of your opponent, Shawn Still.

AR: We were supposed to have a debate led by local high school students that takes place every two years. I accepted and suddenly I got an email saying Shawn couldn’t make it because he had another commitment. It’s important for the incumbents to debate, especially someone with a track record like Shawn Still, with his extreme policies and criminal indictment. Voters deserve to be able to hear from him on these issues. So we decided that if he wasn’t going to show up, we’d basically make him appear by bringing his picture.

TSD: As a young person, what are your concerns about youth voter turnout?

AR: People can only vote when they are 18 years old. Often, they can vote either in their senior year of high school or even when they go to college. Which means there’s often a gap between growing up in the community and actually being able to vote. So for many people, the first time they can vote is when they are out of state or away from home and have to vote by absentee ballot. That just creates a disconnect. It is much more difficult to vote with an absentee ballot than to go in person and vote. This is just that traditional hurdle. Because of this, many people simply get caught up in the stress of college and don’t get to vote. Then, once they don’t have the habit, the habit never starts. So I think that’s the biggest concern.

I think younger candidates like me can change that calculus because we’re people involved, whether it’s high school students, college students, young professionals. Everyone sees themselves in a candidate like me. They’re starting to realize that we’re not just choosing between two 60-year-olds or 80-year-olds.

I think it’s just a matter of education – making sure people are aware, but also helping them understand their own power. I think people often feel disempowered and helpless. First of all, when they see that their elected officials do not really center them, but also when they see that young people are excluded from the political system. It is very powerful.

TSD: As a former Daily employee, how do you think journalism plays a role in voter turnout as well as combating the apathy some of our generation feel?

AR: Working at The Daily as CTO was the first time I realized that the work I do has such a tangible impact. Tens of thousands of email summaries are sent every day, and the organization publishes stories that create real impact. It gives students that sense of empowerment.

News is not something to be passively consumed. Rather, it’s created by these different actors, whether they’re journalists, people pitching stories, or store owners who decide whether or not to publish endorsements. The news highlights these political forces at play and shows how impactful public exposure is—it’s a way to hold people accountable for their actions and then tell their stories.

TSD: Any final words you’d like to share with us today?

AR: Being able to meet very famous and influential people at Stanford helped me realize that at the end of the day, we’re all just normal people. This realization gave me the courage to take risks and try new things, because why not? Why not cold email someone or run for office?

Part of my vision for running for office in my hometown is to give back to my community. I know so many talented people who couldn’t go to a place like Stanford who, given the chance, would have done extremely well and given back to the community. It is up to those who attend places like Stanford to return home or to other disadvantaged communities to share this knowledge and wealth of resources. This is how we move our country forward; a rising tide really does lift all boats.