Ashwin Ramaswami ’21 on his run for the Georgia Senate

In December 2023, at age 24, Ashwin Ramaswami ’21 launched his Senate campaign for Georgia’s 48th District. Ramaswami spoke with The Daily in February to explain what motivated him to run for office and what his goals would be if elected Georgia’s 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 has raised nearly $900,000 and received endorsements from a variety of political figures, from House Representative Lucy McBath and U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff to former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young and California Representative Evan Low. Last month, Ramaswami debated a mugshot of his opponent, incumbent Shawn Still – one of 19 people facing charges of illegally interfering in Georgia’s 2020 election results.

With less than a week to go before polling day, Ramaswami spoke to The Daily about his campaign so far and his hopes for this week’s elections.

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and conciseness.

The Stanford Daily (TSD): What does your day-to-day campaign look like as election day approaches? How did your campaign go?

Ashwin Ramaswami (AR): I knew it would be a close race when I decided to run for office, but right now we’re seeing how much every single vote counts. This is one of the most high-profile Senate races in Georgia.

Recently we have invested a lot of time in communicating with voters.

At this point, less than a week before the election, the focus shifts to getting people to vote.

TSD: The election is just a few days away. What do you want personally and nationwide?

AR: I hope the Democrats can win in all rounds. I think it’s very clear what the choice is for a country between people like Donald Trump – who have tried to overturn our elections, who have no respect for institutions or democracy, who marginalize minorities, who build campaigns based on ignorance and Lies based – unlike Harris-Walz, who has focused on bringing people together and has a more inclusive vision for the future. We’ve already seen her campaign garner Republican support and bridge that political divide, and I think the same thing will happen at the local level as well.

I’m hoping that we can really activate my community here and make people realize that this election is a choice between someone like me, who grew up in my district, has that technical and legal background, and wants to move our district forward, or someone like Shawn Still, who was criminally charged along with Donald Trump for attempting to overturn the 2020 election results.

TSD: What role did your age play in the way you campaigned? More specifically, how do you try to win over voters who may 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 advantage. When people think of young candidates, they often see youth as a disadvantage in the political arena. But what I found is that this is actually a huge advantage; People have realized that the current system is not working for them. The only way to change it is to bring in new voices and people with new perspectives. There are many 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 former representatives were what some would call transplants: They grew up somewhere else and moved here when they ran for office. My high school teachers cheer me on. People choose me because they know me and I was classmates with their children.

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

TSD: What values ​​underlie your campaign? What motivates these values?

AR: Priority number one is restoring reproductive freedom for Georgians. We must repeal Georgia’s abortion ban and protect protections under Roe v. Restore calf.

Now that Roe v. Wade is overthrown, people are grappling with the real consequences: women dying because they don’t have access to medical care, or doctors not providing life-saving measures because they fear being prosecuted.

The next point here is 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 because it is a safe area to live. It really shocks people when they realize that we have such permissive gun laws that don’t provide even basic controls. We don’t have safe storage laws that encourage people to store guns safely so they can’t be misused, nor do we have proper background checks.

TSD: What was going through your mind when you decided to discuss your opponent Shawn Still’s photo?

AR: We should host a biennial debate led by local high school students. I agreed and suddenly we received an email saying that Shawn couldn’t come because he had other commitments. It’s important for incumbents to discuss this, especially with someone with a track record like Shawn Still dealing with his extreme politics and criminal charges. Voters deserve to hear from him on these issues. So we decided that if he didn’t show up, we would basically make him show up by bringing his mugshot.

TSD: As a young person, what concerns do you have about young people’s voter participation?

AR: People cannot vote until they are 18 years old. Often they can choose either only in their senior year of high school or right at the start of their studies. This means that there is often a gap between growing up in the community and actually being able to choose. For many people, this will be the first time they will be able to vote if they are out of state or away from home and will need to cast their vote by absentee ballot. This simply leads to a breakup. It is much more difficult to vote by mail than to simply go and vote in person. That’s just the traditional hurdle. Because of this, many people just get caught up in the stress of college and end up not actually voting. Then if they don’t have the habit, the habit never starts. I think that’s the biggest concern.

I think younger candidates like me can change that calculus because we engage people whether they’re high school students, college students, or young professionals. Everyone sees themselves in a candidate like me. They’re starting to realize that we don’t just have to choose between two 60-year-olds or 80-year-olds.

I think it’s just a matter of education – making sure people are aware of it, but also just helping them understand their own power. I think people often feel powerless and powerless. Firstly, when they see that their elected representatives do not really focus on them, but also when they see that young people are excluded from the political system. It’s very discouraging.

TSD: As a former Daily staffer, what role do you think journalism plays in voter turnout and combating the apathy felt by some in our generation?

AR: When I worked as CTO at The Daily, I first realized that my work had such a tangible impact. Tens of thousands of email digests are sent every day and the organization publishes stories that have real impact. It gives students this sense of empowerment.

News is not something you consume passively. Rather, it is created by these different actors, be they journalists, people who tell stories, or owners of outlets who decide whether to publish recommendations or not. The news highlights what political forces are at play and shows the impact of public attention – it’s a way to hold people accountable for their actions and then tell their stories.

TSD: Would you like to share any final words with us today?

AR: Having the opportunity to meet very famous and influential people at Stanford helped me realize that at the end of the day, we are all just normal people. This realization gave me the courage to take risks and try new things because why not? Why not 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 didn’t get to go to a place like Stanford, and if they had the chance, they would have done amazing work and given back to the community. It is incumbent upon 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 actually lifts all boats.