ELECTION DAY

UNCLAS NEW DELHI 002888 DEPT FOR SCA/PPD, IIP, AND R E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KPAO OEXC SCUL IN SUBJECT: ELECTION DAY ¶1. The American Mission in India celebrated the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election around the country with colorful and festive events attended by enthusiastic friends and contacts. Mission India's election programs superbly highlighted American democracy and the strong and growing relationship between the U.S. and India. India's vibrant press, joined by American media representatives, became active players in the creation of an atmosphere of excitement and political participation, and their excellent coverage ensured that millions of Indians around the country were focused on this historic election. PROGRAM SUMMARY ¶2. NEW DELHI: The American Center in New Delhi was transformed into a red, white and blue "Election Central," with activities and hospitality for over 500 guests, including more than 100 members of the media. PepsiCo and CocaCola donated drinks to the breakfast spread provided by Hyatt. On the lawn, balloon statues of an elephant and a donkey towered over life-size cutouts of the Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates. In the main lobby, guests had the opportunity to cast ballots at three electronic voting booths before moving on to the auditorium where a bank of televisions provided continuous coverage from CNN, BBC, Sky and several local channels. University and high school student leaders, including YES alumni and ACCESS students, participated in quizzes and information activities arranged in the Center Library. SPAN magazine's photo essay on the candidates and IIP's power point "The Long Campaign," converted into poster show. ¶3. An army of journalists and television cameras representing more than 20 media outlets eagerly recorded interviews and provided virtually continuous live coverage for the conclusion of this historic election. In addition to talks with every American present, one TV channel interviewed a young YES alumni who had worked on the Obama campaign during his stay in Ohio last year. The Fulbright Executive Director even conducted an interview in Hindi. The Country PAO's non-stop TV appearances continued late into the night. ¶4. KOLKATA: Election Day 2008 was celebrated with fanfare and excellent media coverage at Kolkata's Park Hotel. More than 500 guests attended the half-day "Election Watch," funded entirely by generous corporate sponsorship. A handful of attendees arrived even before the doors opened at 5:30 a.m. Kolkata Consul General Beth Payne spoke on the democratic tradition of the United States and affirmed the continuing closeness of U.S.-India ties. The media was out in force, with seven news channels, including Doodoorshan and Star Ananda (the most popular Bengali-language news channel) present at the event, with all featuring interviews with the Consul General and Public Affairs officers. Guests were able to watch broadcasts of incoming election results from U.S. news channels and cast mock ballots. ¶5. In the run-up to Election Watch, Kolkata's American Center hosted a mock debate on October 31 with university students playing the roles of each Presidential candidate. These students and many of their peers attended the election event, demonstrating the keen appeal of this election to young Indians. Consul General Payne declared this the best election event she had witnessed during her career. ¶6. CHENNAI: Consulate General Chennai organized a series of three events to celebrate the elections. In a pre-election reception on November 4, 200 top contacts marked the opening of polls in the U.S. Guests cast mock ballots and took photographs with life-size cutouts of Senators Obama and McCain at the festively decked-out Hotel Taj Coromandel. Speaking on the occasion, Consul General Simkin assured the audience that Indo-U.S. relations would flourish regardless of the election outcome. The evening's special guest was an ACCESS student from Anjuman-e-Himayath-e-Islam school, who read his prize-winning essay on "What Democracy Means to Me." On display were the colorful election posters by Trivandrum ACCESS students. The PAO gave a brief presentation on the "Electoral College" invited guests to participate in a "Guess the Electoral Vote" contest. Press coverage before election day included an Op-Ed/exclusive by-liner in The Hindu by the Consul General on the US Elections Open House and PAO Kaplan's comments on the election process aired on Chennai Live (FM radio). ¶7. On November 5, 1500 enthusiastic citizens of Chennai joined U.S. Consulate General officials at an Election Open House beginning at 7:00 a.m. Guests, including over 40 journalists, eagerly watched CNN and other major television networks for results. The excitement was palpable as hundreds of school and college students jostled with other invited guests including leading politicians, senior government officials, artists, think tank officials, policy makers, representatives of numerous media outlets and curious citizens of Chennai waiting for the announcement of the next U.S. President. Consulate officials spoke on issues of interest including absentee/early voting, the impact of the youth vote, and participation of Indian-Americans in the political process, and provided election analysis at regular intervals. The event received wide coverage with photos in Chennai editions of India's major English language press as well as Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi newspapers, extensive TV and live radio coverage. On the following day, November 6, PA Chennai invited academics, think tank members and media representatives for a wrap-up discussion of the election and a view of the transition process. ¶8. MUMBAI: Mumbai's penultimate U.S. Election program, on November 5 at the Hard Rock Caf, brought together 200 political leaders, government officials, business persons, academics, artists, activists and media to watch results stream in and the candidates speak. The venue, complete with its own Americana dcor, was a befitting site for the day's historic event. The wide range of Mumbaikers in attendance watched in awe during live CNN feeds from battleground states, polling stations, and ultimately the candidates' speeches from Phoenix and Chicago. Several in attendance commented that Chicago's Grant Park was the site of racial violence during the 1968 Presidential convention and noted how far the U.S. has come in such a short amount of time. Consul General Paul Folmsbee welcomed guests and framed the morning's news in a historical context, drawing parallels to India's history and our shared democratic traditions. ¶9. The American Library supported the event with an election-themed book display, ran the America.gov "Elections 2008" series of 16 short videos, and helped promote the "Democracy Is..." short video competition. Guests eagerly helped themselves to 2008 Democratic and Republican memorabilia and informational materials while others jostled to click photos alongside cut-outs of Obama and McCain. The information materials provided by IIP, including the Election Kit and poster shows, added to the election fervor among Mumbai's eclectic audience which cheered and clapped as the election results trickled in. ¶10. Most impressive was the extensive press coverage and vulture-like media presence. No American in the audience was left alone, including visiting SCA/PPD Deputy Director Paul Houge, as 12 prominent newspapers and magazines and 16 electronic media outlets collected sound bites for transmission. ¶11. Guests clearly appreciated sharing in this historic day with their American hosts. Discussion focused on the meaning of the U.S. election for India and the intensive participation from many different sectors. Audience members not infrequently commented that they look forward to the day when Indian voters will match America's 2008 voters in their zeal. Both print and broadcast media were extremely well represented, and had ample opportunity throughout the nearly three-hour event to interview American officers, including the CG. Through this event PA Mumbai successfully furthered Mission goals of democracy and public diplomacy, and highlighted American values of liberty, equality and democratic practices, while successfully leveraging corporate partnership for this premiere public diplomacy event. The overwhelming response to US elections and to this election event highlighted the growing US-India relationship and the sentiment that, irrespective of who makes it to the Oval Office, US-India relations could only strengthen. ¶12. Conclusion: Celebrations of the American election had a major impact on how India sees the United States. The combination of energy, hospitality and education reinforced some of the most respected aspects of America. The media reporting helped carry that message to millions of people across India. MULFORD