Sacramento South Asian

International Labour’s Day

amit — Fri, 03 May 2013 11:45:21 +0000

May Day is related to the Celtic festival of Beltane and the Germanic festival of Walpurgis Night. May Day falls exactly half a year from November 1, another cross-quarter day which is also associated with various northern European pagan and the year in the Northern hemisphere, and it has traditionally been an occasion for popular and often raucous celebrations.

As Europe became Christianized, the pagan holidays lost their religious character and either changed into popular secular celebrations, as with May Day, or were merged with or replaced by new Christian holidays as with Christmas, Easter, Pentecost and All Saint’s Day.

In the twentieth and continuing into the twenty-first century, many neopagans began reconstructing the old traditions and celebrating May Day as a pagan religious festival again.

The earliest May Day celebrations appeared in pre-Christian times, with the festival of Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers, and the Walpurgis Night celebrations of the Germanic countries.

It is also associated with the Gaelic Beltane. Many pagan celebrations were abandoned or Christianized during the process of conversion in Europe.

A more secular version of May Day continues to be observed in Europe and America. In this form, May Day may be best known for its tradition of dancing the maypole dance and crowning of the Queen of the May.

Various Neopagan groups celebrate reconstructed (to varying degrees) versions of these customs on May 1st.

The day was a traditional summer holiday in many pre-Christian European pagan cultures.

While February 1 was the first day of Spring, May 1 was the first day of summer; hence, the summer solstice on June 25 (now June 21) was Midsummer.

In the Roman Catholic tradition, May is observed as Mary’s month, and in these circles May Day is usually a celebration of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

In this connection, in works of art, school skits, and so forth, Mary’s head will often be adorned with flowers in a May crowning.
Fading in popularity since the late 20th century is the giving of “May baskets,” small baskets of sweets and/or flowers, usually left anonymously on neighbours’ doorsteps.

BUDDHA POORNIMA

amit — Fri, 03 May 2013 11:43:33 +0000

Buddha Poornima, which falls on the full moon night in the month of Vaisakha (either in April or May), commemorates the birth anniversary of Lord Buddha, founder of Buddhism.

Notwithstanding the summer heat (the temperature routinely touches 45 degrees C), pilgrims come from all over the world to Bodh Gaya to attend the Buddha Poornima celebrations.

The day is marked with prayer meets, sermons on the life of Gautam Buddha, religious discourses, continuous recitation of Buddhist scriptures, group meditation, processions, worship of the statue of Buddha.

The Mahabodhi Temple wears a festive look and is decorated with colourful flags and flowers. The Chinese scholar, Fa-Hien has recorded celebration of this festival. It is an important to give a summarized description on the Buddhist festivals in India, especially in the main places of worship. The principal annual ceremony for all the Buddhist is the Vaisaka Purnima known in Sri Lanka as Wesak festival and in India as Buddha Jayanti. Vaisaka Purnima day is fixed by the full-moon day of the month Vaisaka, which falls in May. Like all other Buddhist festivals it falls according to the Lunar year. It was of this day of the year, according to the year.

He attained Supreme Enlighten or Buddha hood, beneath the Bodhi-tree at Boddha Gaya. Forty-five years later at the age of eighty, he finally passed away in Parinivana on the same day of the year at Kushinagar. Vaisaka Purnima is celebrated

especially in Boddha Gaya, Lumbini and in Kushinara as they are the holy places that were connected with the blessed ones birth, enlighten and the Parinirvana. Buddhists in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Tibet, China, Korea, Laos, Vietnam, Mongolia, Bhutan, Cambodia, Nepal, Japan and quite a number of western Buddhists participate ‘Vaisaka’ Purnima Day religious activities in a festive mood. Sarnath the capital of Buddhism too celebrates Vaisaka Purnima day in a grand way.

The great Buddhist festival ‘Vaisaka’ ,although is an occasion for rejoicing doesn’t encourage hectic gaiety and abandon. The happiness that the Buddhists feel when they are celebrating it is a tranquil, peaceful joy. The festival has its gay side as well. In most of the Buddhist countries the villages, roads, streets, temples and houses are brightly illuminated with color Lanterns, electric lights and colorful decorations.

Mother’s Day

amit — Fri, 03 May 2013 11:41:34 +0000

Mother’s Day is a celebration honoring mothers and motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society.

It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, most commonly in March, April or May.

It complements Father’s Day, a similar celebration honoring fathers.

Mother’s Day is an American invention. It is not directly descended from the many celebrations of mothers and motherhood that have occurred throughout the world over thousands of years, such as the Greek cult to Cybele, the Roman festival of Hilaria, or the Christian Mothering Sunday celebration.

Despite this, in some countries Mother’s Day has become synonymous with these older traditions.

The modern holiday of Mother’s Day was first celebrated in 1908, when Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother in America. She then began a campaign to make “Mother’s Day” a recognized holiday in the United States. Although she was successful in 1914, she was already disappointed with its commercialization by the 1920s. Jarvis’ holiday was adopted by other countries and it is now celebrated all over the world.

In this tradition, each person offers a gift, card, or remembrance toward their mothers, grandmothers, and/ or maternal figure on mother’s day.

Various observances honouring mothers existed in America during the 1870s and the 1880s, but these never had resonance beyond the local level.

Jarvis never mentioned Julia Ward Howe’s attempts in the 1870s to establish a “Mother’s Day for Peace”, nor any connection to the Protestant school celebrations that included “Children’s Day” amongst others.

Neither did she mention the traditional festival of Mothering Sunday, but always said that the creation was hers alone. For more information on previous attempts, see the “United States” section in this article.

Sanjay Dutt Sentenced

amit — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 09:33:13 +0000

Mumbai, Mar 28 (ANI): Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, who has been sentenced to five years in jail for illegal possession of weapons in a case linked to the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts, on Thursday said he will surrender before the authorities as per the Supreme Court’’s direction, and added that he would not be seeking a pardon. “ I will surrender within the timeframe set by the Supreme Court. I have the highest respect for the SC and will abide by the law,” said an emotional Dutt while briefing media here.

“I have a lot of work to finish. Just want to spend this time with my family and finish my work,” he said.
I want to thank everyone who supported me. I love my country. I love India,” he added.

The Supreme Court, which last week upheld the death sentence of Yakub Abdul Razak Memon, a key conspirator with Dawood Ibrahim in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, ordered that Dutt return to jail to serve three-and-a-half years sentence for possessing illegal arms.

Dutt, who is out on bail, will also have to surrender within four weeks to serve a jail term of 42 months as the apex court reduced to five years the six year jail term awarded to him by a designated TADA court in 2007 and he had already spent 18 months behind the bar.

A total of 257 persons were killed and 713 others injured when a series 13 coordinated explosions shattered the metropolis on March 12, 1993.

The blasts occurred at 12 places, including Bombay Stock Exchange building, Air-India Building at Nariman Point, at Worli opposite Century Bazaar, Hotels Sea Rock and Juhu Centaur. (ANI)

Karma World and Yoga of Healing

amit — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 09:31:53 +0000

Thoughts can engender healing, yet a lot of thought component is hardly within our reach to handle and create. Thoughts owe their existence to opportunities, and the opportunities are endless in time and space; Thoughts can be formed from telepathic interactions between and other means of soul communication between beings. Karma, the deeds and their nature, contributes to thoughts in a very significant way. Thoughts can be understood as multidimensional energy beings with a life of their own. They last for the time they are meant to last for, and this is also determined by the truthfulness, and the purity of intent and associated feelings that travels with the thoughts. Thoughts are a means of communication just like any other, like talking, writing, or using gestures. Those who attain spiritual awareness, after having worked for several years meditating, and following soul path, tend to be able to observe and manage their thoughts very carefully, since they are aware of the potential the thought can have, and the manifestation, the thought is capable of bringing about. Thoughts can also relate to our past, derive from our incomplete actions, and the clairvoyance capability of the person. At any given time, the thoughts in the mind can help determine the voids in the past, and the incomplete actions, the energy patterns that continue to exist in person’s energy body, and hence from this opportunity, can be determined the path the person is likely to take in the future, and the actions, she or he might perform to balance energy arising from the incoming thoughts. Talking of action, I would like to add that actions are a level next after thoughts or rather above thoughts; Action is more tangible, more concrete, stronger as entity, and hence more irreversible so to say. Hence actions have to be managed and monitored more carefully than thoughts, since they are likely to have higher impact in generating karmic influence, and manifestation. There is an element of ‘irreversible-ness’ in thoughts, but less in actions, since actions are kind of thoughts implemented, or thoughts ‘acted upon’. So a lot more care is needed in dealing with one’s and other people’s actions. And now we discuss the aspect of how healing and hence health can relate to our thoughts and actions. According to the studies in the spiritual sciences, we are much beyond and much more than a physical body. The physical body is at the lowest vibration, next comes the etheric body which is like the life energy to the physical body. And we also have an astral body, mind body and the causal body. Astral body is the energy body, where we can perform energy healing. Mind body transcends time and space, and participates in telepathic communication. Causal body relates to past karmas, memories, and soul level vibrations. Healing can happen at all levels and this is determined by the techniques used for healing. Sometimes, the ailment begins on a body other than the physical body and it takes its own time to affect the physical body or be seen at the physical level. While treatment and healing is important to be done at the physical level, it is also necessary to try and get to the root cause of the ailment by working on other bodies of the individual. And then there is a possibility of healing the ailment at the root level to never allow it to surface again at the physical level. Yoga creates a circuit, a path for the inner energy to flow freely, and in the right manner so as to engender healing, and one of the goals of healing is the unification of conscious mind with the super consciousness, or the universal mind. Hence the name Yoga, or the union, as it interprets in Sanskrit language. Yoga can be practiced as a set of defined physical postures, for energy balancing, and it also refers to the techniques of meditation, pranayama, sound healing, and several healing techniques. It essentially refers to the method of unification of mind with the higher mind, and the method can be physical postures, or mediation, or energy work. The end result is the same, unification. Feelings can play a pivotal role in healing process and experiencing life as a whole. While the feelings of anger, jealousy, hatred, each carry a different message, they are coded for their own purpose, in the human system of body and mind. On the other hand, feelings of love, affection, and care provide solace, and contentment to the mind and the soul. Emotional Intelligence is the key behind handling feelings, as they contribute a lot to the healing process, in empowering the healing process, and making it work better based on the intent associated. The world that exists when we see with closed eyes is as real as the world we encounter with open eyes. There exists a lot of universe beyond the five senses that we use quite often to deal with the world, and essentially with ourselves. Yoga, meditation and healing provide a path, and means to visit that part of the real world with comfort and ease, without any doubts or questions. Understanding both these worlds, and interpreting them instinctively and intuiting can lead to increased life awareness and handling of life events better. The places of worship have a healing energy associated with them, they almost become like the energy base centers or healing centers and whoever comes in the vicinity of these centers, gets the benefit if she or he is ready for it, and believes in it. Belief and Faith, help remove blocks in the pathways of healing, that of the mind, body or soul. The process of healing is so multi-dimensional, and nature has provided us with so much support and means to help us find one of the many of healing and if followed sincerely and religiously, one or more of the ways can be sufficient for healing, though it depends on the Karma of the entities associated, and how deep rooted the ailment is. But what spiritual sciences say is that all can be healed, and there is nothing that cannot be. Love as energy is one of the greatest ways of healing the self as well as others. The purer the love, the more power it has, as long as it is unconditional and given without any expectations in return. Blessings have power too, and yet one who gives or receives blessings has to be sure there are no conditions or expectations associated, and that will then result in some Karma which will takes it course of time and space to be cleared. Karma is generated every fraction of a second, if we were to measure it against time, but then it runs on many other dimensions and not just time. Time is just one of the factors. Spiritualists aim to get ‘Karma Free’ and also try their best not to generate Karma, or rather Bad Karma, if you will. Buddha sat under a tree meditating for years and years, to attain Nirvana, moving towards Moksha, seeking freedom from life and death. In all, if interpreted as white light, it appears to be a matrix of energies, emanating and moving towards light where light is the source and light, the destination. And we end up saying, “Love and Light”, when we are part of healing session for self as well as others. In light, all identities disappear, all personalities disappear, and its soul and energy that remains. Healing is an ongoing process, while it works on chronic energy patterns within the system; it also works on the day of day energy interactions, and hence works on past, present, and thus the future. It is beyond time and space, and should preferably be done without any constraints in the mind. This would make it whole and complete. Omnipresence, for a soul, is normal and natural. It not only enables presence at multiple places in longitude and latitude but also makes possible, interaction with entities at multiple places, in order for soul completion to continue to happen, gradually or sometimes rapidly moving towards its objective of achieving salvation or freedom. Every relationship is created by spiritual laws of attraction, and it lives till the interaction is whole and complete for highest good. Water causes healing, water can be used as the sole source for healing, and it responds to energy very well.

With Karma and its intricacies understood to some extent, the means to heal are several; the doors to the destination are many. God continues to create several opportunities for the beings to connect with Him for higher guidance and direction enlightenment or soul awakening, He makes His presence felt from time to time, in so many ways, and we tend to address such situations as a ‘co-incidence’ or ‘by change happening’, with nature at its creative best behind the scenes. We are audience to a huge drama, a drama of reality so to say, where God makes us performs and project at the same time. Karmic transactions are created, chain reaction ensues, one thing leads to another, and another to another, and humans limited by their potential to memorize, can trace things back in a limited way, to a limited set of events, happening within limited time and space. And hence then arises the need and opportunity to surrender, listen to the inner self, and connect with the higher guidance, through the process of healing, to be able to see, hear, sense without the interference of the five senses. God then smiles a blessing.

Businesses Generate Higher Revenue With Social Media: Study

amit — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 09:30:26 +0000

Washington, Mar 26 (ANI):
Customers’’ use of social media helps a business firm generate higher revenue, a research has said.

Ashish Kumar, assistant professor of marketing at Aalto University, said that now there is proof that customers who engage with a business through social media contribute more to the bottom line than customers who do not.

He said that study showed that social media activities help strengthen the bond between the customer and the firm.

Participating customers on a firm’’s social media site contribute 5.6 percent more revenue and visit the business about five percent more than non-participating customers, he explained.

This study proves that building online communities, personalizing messages and encouraging contributions from online members enhances the customer experience as well as increases the frequency of social media visits and promotes sales overall.

The research showed that the keys to success include maintaining a user-friendly site, sending regular updates about events, personalizing key messages to customers and encouraging interaction from them.

This study has been published in a special issue of the journal Information Systems Research on ‘’Social Media and Business Transformation’’.

This study was conducted by Ashish Kumar from Aalto University in collaboration with Rishika Rishika and Ramkumar Janakiraman from Texas A&M University, and Ram Bezawada from the University at Buffalo, New York. (ANI)

The festival of Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ

amit — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 09:25:36 +0000

The festival of Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ and conveys his message of love, tolerance and brotherhood. It’s a celebration of humanity and mankind. Though Christmas is a primary festival of the Christian calendar but still it has a special significance in everyone’s life. It is celebrated as a universal festival through out the nation. The first mention of 25th December as the birth date of Jesus occurred in 336 A.D. in an early Roman calendar. That day onwards this date is celebrated as the birth date of Jesus. In India this festival has a special significance since India is known for its unity in diversity worldwide. The celebration of Christmas shows that even people from different religion takes part in Christmas celebration just as the Indian Christians do. And because of European influence on the country for so long the religion has spread across the country. The doctrines and philosophies of Christianity converted people of many sects to Christianity and today, there is a large Christian community thriving in India that has adopted the Christians festivals as a part of Indian culture as well. However, many of the rituals of these Christian festivals have been modified to suit the climatic conditions of the land.

Christmas is the most important festival of Indian Christians. Christians in India decorate banana or mango trees instead of traditional pine tree. They also light small oil-burning lamps as Christmas decorations and fill their churches with red flowers. As a part of their celebration they give Christmas gifts to their family members and token of money to poor people as charity. People decorate their houses and churches with poinsettia flowers for the midnight mass. In South India, the Christians put small clay lamps on the rooftops and walls of their houses at Christmas, just as the Hindus do during their festival called Diwali. In Goa, all hotels are jampacked during Christmas period and one must plan well in advance if planning a stay in one of the Goa hotels. The local Indian customs and tradition and customs have a heavy impact on the Indian Christian. And this is visible in their decoration as many Indian Christians decorate their houses with mango leaves. Churches often have an Evening Service on Christmas and are fabulously decorated with poinsettias and candles. Caroling processions on streets and thoroughfares can also be seen.

X’mas Around The World

X’mas around the world is one of the most religious and holy festivals of Christian community celebrated in all over the world. 25th December is a religious and special day of Christian community that has aroused the curiosity of devotees in the honor of Jesus Christ, the son of God, was born to Mother Mary. From mouth of Jesus Christ, the son of God release a message of humanity, kindness, truth and a path of honesty among the Christian community. But all the tradition of Christmas celebrations are changing by Christian community, wonderfully this excited and delightful Christmas celebration is celebrated by all over the world with great zeal and excitement.

BE THEIR ROLE MODEL ..

amit — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 09:22:46 +0000

By: AlpanaDeo
We all know the Wikipedia meaning for “role model” is “any person who serves as an example”. Being somebody’s role model sometimes sounds scary. It is indeed a tough role to play knowing that there is someone who always looks up to you, follows you, and imitates you. If we have to play this role for our own kids then it becomes much more challenging and sometimes tricky too. Why challenging? Because we have to think, re-think before taking any step. Just like a game of Chess, one wrong move and it will change the picture of the entire game. As they say in Hindi- “HarKadamPhookPahookKeDaalo”, means take every step with utmost care. These words perfectly apply here.
I said tricky as many times we have to be diplomatic while dealing with kids. Sometimes situation demands us to react and behave differently which may change our image for our kids. They on the other hand are not that matured enough to visualize and understand this change. At such times, it is our duty as a parent to take it as an opportunity to explain them that sometimes we need to change as situation demands. I totally agree that it is lot more difficult to execute than what it sounds.
Just like a coin has two sides, in the same way in spite of challenging and tricky, being a role model to our kid is an effective way of learning for them and a medium for us to teach them. If they are remembering things and following them then it is a certificate for us.
“Everything a child hear, see, and feel is recorded onto a cassette. Guess who is the big star in their movie? WE ARE. What we say and, more important, what we do is recorded there for them to replay over and over again. We all have video cassettes. Adults just have larger libraries of tapes available.”
I am a mother of a 4 years old daughter. This year’s Diwali has given me an idea to write on this topic. Thanks to my daughter. It was the 1st day of Diwali-“Dhanteras”. We were getting ready for attending a fireworks and laser show at temple. My daughter picked an ethnic dress for both of us. I asked her “Why do you want me to wear a sari and picked this dress for yourself?” Her answer made me really very happy. She said “Diwali is an Indian festival and we are going to the temple so we should wear Indian dress.” The reason why she said this was because she has always seen me in an ethnic outfit whenever we go to the templeor for any Indian function/religious occasion. She asked me once that why we have to wear Indian outfit for temple and I told her that there is no harm in wearing western clothes but it’s our culture. And we are living outside India so we should try to maintain it.
Apart from all this conversation, the most important part for me was she has an image of her mother in her mind. She remembered that and followed the same. From last year she knows that Diwali means Rangoli, Diyas, Pooja, Fireworks. And this year another memory has added to it that she asked her mom to wear Sari and she showed respect to her decision and both mom and daughter worn Indian outfits.
This was just an example. There are several other occasions when kids do follow us. We get to see that imitation through pretend plays, general conversation.
As a mother, as a parent, my efforts will always be towards building a strong and meaningful foundation for my daughter and let her record as many incidences as she wants onto her cassette. But when she will replay them it should convey a valuable and memorable message.
To conclude, here are few more lines on the role of a Role model that I found very true:
“Role modeling is the most basic responsibility of parents. Parents are handling life’s script to their children, scripts that in all likelihood will be acted out for the rest of the children’s lives”
- Stephen R. Covey

National Diabetes Month

amit — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 09:19:49 +0000

November is National Diabetes Month. Everyone has heard the statistics that diabetes is on the rise in Travis County, but what can you do to help your family and yourself prevent type 2 diabetes? Or if you have diabetes, how can you take steps to learn more and live a healthier life?

“Even if you know what to do to improve your health, figuring out how to do it and fitting it into your daily routine can be a big challenge, said Dr. Philip Huang, Medical Director, Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department. “That’s why it’s important to set goals and make a plan to prevent type 2 diabetes or manage diabetes to prevent complications”.

So how do you get started making these changes? It’s about choosing a goal and working toward it. Making a plan and taking the first step will help you reach your goal. The National Diabetes Education Program’s Make a Plan tool can help you think about what is important to your health and how to break down your goals into small achievable steps. This November, make a change to live well at http://www.yourdiabetesinfo.org/ .

As part of National Diabetes Month, the Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department, American Diabetes Association and the Central Texas Diabetes Coalition are hosting events across Austin to help the community learn more about healthy living and diabetes.

• November 1st: Diabetes education classes in Spanish at the Webb Middle School Family Resource Center (sponsored by Austin/Travis County HHSD). To register, call (512) 841-2280
• November 3rd: Step out- Walk to Stop Diabetes sponsored by the American Diabetes Association
• November 8th: Show your support for diabetes education and prevention by attending the National Diabetes Month in Austin Proclamation at Austin City Hall at 5:15 PM (Sponsored by the Central Texas Diabetes Coalition)
• November 10th: Zumba-thon, Sponsored by the American Diabetes Association
• November 14th (World Diabetes Day): Various buildings in Austin will be lit up blue in recognition of this day and the growing diabetes epidemic

For an ongoing listing of diabetes resources and education classes visit the Central Texas Diabetes Coalition website at http://www.austintexas.gov/department/central-texas-diabetes-coalition or the American Diabetes Association at www.diabetes.org .

For information about the Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department or Central Texas Diabetes Coalition events, contact Stephanie Helfman, Diabetes Program Coordinator, at (512) 972-6764.

For information about the American Diabetes Association sponsored events, contact (512) 472-9838.

South Asian Americans Could Make Major Impact on Election This Year

amit — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 08:12:53 +0000

According to the US Census Bureau, Asian Americans are now the fastest growing racial group in the United States. This year, several major studies and polls of the Asian American community showed that Asian American voters can make the difference in a number of elections at the local, state, and federal level. Unique among all groups, Asian Americans are also the only group that is more enthusiastic about voting this year than in 2008. Record voter turnout is projected not only for the election as a whole, but among Asian Americans in particular.
In Austin, voters will be making important choices for county and state offices such as a new Travis County Tax Assessor-Collector, the very important 3rd Court of Appeals, and the Austin Independent School District and Austin Community College boards. Additionally, voters will decide whether to approve funding for a medical school at UT Austin, seven city bonds for transportation, affordable housing, libraries, and other projects, and perhaps most importantly, eleven major proposed changes to the structure of Austin’s city government and elections.
With so much at stake this November and so many voters participating in major decisions that will potentially transform the city and impact the Austin region for years to come, it is critical for the South Asian community to make their voices heard. Unfortunately, many South Asians fail to vote because they do not understand the process or encounter problems when trying to vote. Don’t let other people make your choices for you – get educated about how to vote using the information below and take charge of your government!

Q: Do I need a photo ID to vote in Texas in 2012?
A: No. The Texas mandatory Photo ID law was struck down by federal courts.

Q: What do I need in order to vote?
A: Bring your voter registration card with you to the polls in order to vote OR one of the following forms of identification.

- A driver’s license or personal identification card issued by Texas or another state, even if the license or card has expired;
- A form of identification that contains your photograph and establishes your identity;
- A birth certificate or other document confirming birth that is admissible in a court of law and establishes the person’s identity;
- Your United States citizenship papers;
- Your United States passport;
- Official mail addressed to you by a governmental entity; or
- A copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows your name and address.

Q: When and where do I vote?
A: You can vote early from October 22nd through November 2nd or on Election Day November 6th at ANY polling location in Travis County; this year, Travis County residents do not have to go to their own precinct polling location to vote on Election Day. For election day locations, please visit http://www.traviscountyclerk.org/eclerk/Content.do?code=Elections.

Early Voting Sites and Hours:

MEGA VOTING SITE
Highland Mall, 6001 Airport Blvd
More parking, voting machines, and workers to serve you

Use main entrance with green awning, go left toward escalators, next to Texas Teams Store, #1390

Hours for October 22 – October 30:
Monday – Saturday 7 am – 7 pm and Sunday Noon – 6 pm

Hours for October 31 – November 2:
Wednesday – Friday 7 am – 9 pm

OTHER TRAVIS COUNTY LOCATIONS

Hours for October 22 – November 2:
Monday – Saturday 7 am – 7 pm and Sunday Noon – 6 pm

CENTRAL
Fiesta Mart Central in Delwood Shopping Center 3909 North IH-35
University of Texas Flawn Academic Center (Lobby) 2400 Inner Campus Drive on the
West Mall
Howson Public Library 2500 Exposition Boulevard
Hancock Center, Suite 710, (Next to HEB Entrance) 1000 East 41 Street

NORTH
Ben Hur Shriners Hall 7811 Rockwood Lane
Round Rock ISD Performing Arts Center 5800 McNeil Drive

NORTHEAST
County Tax Office, Pflugerville (Community Room) 15822 Foothill Farms Loop
Goodwill Industries 1015 Norwood Park Boulevard

NORTHWEST
Randalls Research and Braker 10900-D Research Boulevard
Randalls Steiner Ranch 5145 RM 620 North

SOUTH
HEB South Congress 2400 South Congress Avenue
Randalls Ben White and Manchaca 2025 West Ben White Boulevard
Lamar Plaza Shopping Center 1150 South Lamar Boulevard

SOUTHEAST
Dan Ruiz Public Library 1600 Grove Boulevard
Fiesta Mart Stassney 5510 South IH-35

SOUTHWEST
Randalls South Mopac and William Cannon 6600 South Mopac
Randalls Brodie and Slaughter 9911 Brodie Lane

EAST
Parque Zaragoza Recreation Center 2608 Gonzales Street at East 7th Street
Dottie Jordan Recreation Center 2803 Loyola Lane
Carver Library and Museum Complex 1165 Angelina Street

WEST
Flagship Randalls West Lake Hills 3300 Bee Caves Road
Randalls Lakeway 2301 RR 620 South

Q: What if I read or speak limited English?
A: You have the right to bring a family member or friend to interpret for you or assist you in translating and casting your ballot in the voting booth. The only restriction is the person cannot be an employer or an agent of your employer or an agent of your union.

Q: What if I don’t understand how to vote?
A: You have the right to ask a poll worker how to cast a ballot or use the voting machines.

Q: What if I have a disability?
A: You have the right to be assisted by a family member, friend, or election worker. You can have a ballot read to you or brought outside to your car if physically impaired. All polling locations are required to meet accessibility guidelines for people with disabilities.

Q: What if I’m told my name is not on the list of eligible voters?
A: You have the right to demand a provisional ballot. If you were given a receipt when you registered to vote, show it to the poll worker.

Q: What if I’m denied a ballot or am harassed at the polls?
A: Do not leave without voting! Call the Travis County Clerk for assistance at (512) 854-4996 or the Voter Protection Hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE (1-866-687-8683).

Q: Where can I find more information about the election?
A: You can contact the Travis County Clerk’s Elections Division at (512) 238-VOTE (8683) or visit www.traviscountyelections.org. More information is also available from http://www.VoteTexas.gov.