Hindu Temple & Cultural Center Elections

HTS Memberships can be verified using the following link:

Hindu Temple & Cultural Center Elections

Message #8 from the Nomination & Election Committee (NEC)

Dear Members

We had received requests for 183 absentee ballots prior to the due date. As of November 6, 111 ballots were returned. A reminder email has been sent to the recipients of the remaining 72 ballots. If you have received an email, please note your ballots have not been received. Those of you that have not returned their absentee ballots should return them soon.

Few points regarding the absentee ballots.

  1. Please make sure you return the ballots in the stamped envelope that was enclosed. The return envelope has a unique ID that identifies the sender. The ballots will be invalidated unless the return envelope with the unique identifier is used.

  2. Please make sure that your choices are properly marked, and you make no more than 10 choices. Any overlap or any more than 10 choices will invalidate the ballot.

  3. Please plan on voting in person if you have not requested an absentee ballot before the due date.

Following are some important dates and deadlines:

  • Date by which absentee ballot should be received by NEC: November 14, 2021

  • Election Date: November 21, 2021 from 1:00pm – 3:00pm

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact one of the NEC members. May God bless us all!  May Peace and Happiness prevail.

Nomination & Election Committee (NEC) 

Kirthi Nagarajan

Sreedevi Mandava

Janaki Krishnamoorthi

Candidate Statements

You can read the candidate statements by using the following link. Statements not published in the previous e-bulletins can now be found in the link below

Candidate Statements

________________________________________

If your name does not appear on the member list and you believe you are a qualified member to

vote, please contact the Membership Secretary–Rami Reddy Muppidi at 518-253-4535, [email protected]

Message #7 from the Nomination & Election Committee (NEC)

Dear Members

Many of you that requested absentee ballots before the due date should have received them by now.

Few points regarding the absentee ballots.

  1. An email confirmation was sent to all those that requested ballots. If you have not received the absentee ballot package before the 5th of November, please send the NEC a note. The NEC will decide on the path forward.
  2. Please make sure you return the ballots in the stamped envelope that was enclosed. The return envelope has a unique ID that identifies the sender. The ballots will be invalidated unless the return envelope with the unique identifier is used.
  3. Please make sure that your choices are properly marked, and you make no more than 10 choices. Any overlap or any more than 10 choices will invalidate the ballot.
  4. We have received envelopes without unique ID from members that have not requested absentee ballots. Please note, any unsolicited ballots received will be invalidated and not be counted. Please plan on voting in person if you have not requested an absentee ballot before the due date.
  5. You can read the candidate statements by using the following link:

Candidate Statement

Following are some important dates and deadlines:

  • Suggested date for absentee ballots to be mailed back to the NEC: October 31, 2021

  • Date by which absentee ballot should be received by NEC: November 14, 2021

  • Election Date: November 21, 2021 from 1:00pm – 3:00pm

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact one of the NEC members. May God bless us all!  May Peace and Happiness prevail.

Nomination & Election Committee (NEC) 

Kirthi Nagarajan

Sreedevi Mandava

Janaki Krishnamoorthi

As promised, attached are the candidate statements for the upcoming BOT elections. We are yet to receive a few statements and will publish them when we receive it.

________________________________________

If your name does not appear on the member list and you believe you are a qualified member to

vote, please contact the Membership Secretary–Rami Reddy Muppidi at 518-253-4535, [email protected]

Message #6 from the Nomination & Election Committee (NEC)

Dear Members

Congratulations are due for the BOG and the BOD candidates that were elected unopposed. We wish the new BOG and BOD members the very best during the term in office.

BOG nominees for the HTS elected unopposed:

Krishan Luthra

Kurthish Dharia

Ram Lalukota

 

BOD Nominees for the HCC elected unopposed:

Mattur Balakrishna

Jayashree Ganesh

The deadline for withdrawing and requesting absentee ballots is now over. One candidate withdrew which leaves 16 candidates contesting for 10 open positions. Elections will be held for the 10 open seats for the BOT. The sixteen candidates for the BOT in a random order are shown below.

Gattu Rao

Rohit Dagli

Sangeeta Raizada

Smita Jain

Jayanthi Sankrith

Ashish Jain

Rajesh Ramamurthi

Ved Shravah

Ramana Allena

Sashidhar Reddy

Amritesh Singh

VV Rami Reddy Muppidi

Mithilesh Kumar

Jhansi R Putta

Sarika Agarwal

Vupputuri Srinivasarao

The excitement for this election is palpable considering the number of absentee ballot requests received by the NEC. Absentee ballots will be mailed out by October 25 2021.

The package sent to you will have the ballot and one stamped, self-addressed envelope. Each request even if they are from the same household will be sent a package separately.

Please read the following points carefully.

  1. An email confirmation will be sent out as soon as the ballots are mailed. Similarly, an email will be sent in approximately 10 days to those from whom we have not received the ballots back.
  2. Each return envelope has a unique identifier specific to the package that will be mailed. It is important that you return the ballots only in the envelope provided with the unique identifier. Any ballots mailed in a different envelope will be disqualified.
  3. All members are requested to return the ballots by mail and not wait till Election Day to drop the ballots in person. The ballots will be invalidated unless the return envelope with the unique identifier is used.
  4. Please make sure that your choices are properly marked, and you make no more than 10 choices. Any overlap or any more than 10 choices will invalidate the ballot. Sign across the seal before mailing the envelope.
  5. If you have not received the absentee ballot package before the 5th of November, please send the NEC a note. The NEC will decide on the path forward.
  6. The NEC will be collecting the returned envelopes every few days from the PO Box. These envelopes will be cross referenced with the unique identification number.
  7. All envelopes will be opened the day of the election during counting to maintain confidentiality.

We ask all the BOT nominees to send us a one-page synopsis by October 30th to be published in the e-bulletin and the website. This synopsis should explain why the General Body members should elect them. The NEC will publish all synopses received by October 30th. Any synopses received after the 30th will results in them getting published at a later date.

Following are some important dates and deadlines:

  • Suggested date for mailing absentee ballots to members: October 25, 2021

  • Suggested date for absentee ballots to be mailed back to the NEC: October 31, 2021

  • Date by which absentee ballot should be received by NEC: November 14, 2021

  • Election Date: November 21 2021 from 1:00pm – 3:00pm

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact one of the NEC members. May God bless us all!  May Peace and Happiness prevail.

Nomination & Election Committee (NEC) 

Kirthi Nagarajan

Sreedevi Mandava

Janaki Krishnamoorthi

________________________________________

If your name does not appear on the member list and you believe you are a qualified member to

vote, please contact the Membership Secretary–Rami Reddy Muppidi at 518-253-4535, [email protected]

Message #5 from the Nomination & Election Committee (NEC)

Dear Devotees,

The nomination deadline is now past. We received nominations both via email and in person. No nominations were mailed to the PO Box address.

As we indicated in our earlier messages, there are ten BOT vacancies for three years each, four BOG vacancies for three years each and four BOD vacancies for three years each.

We received seventeen qualified nominations for BOT, (HTS) three qualified nominations for BOG (HTS) and two qualified nominations for BOD (HCC).

The candidates have until October 22, 2021, to withdraw their nominations. We will have elections for BOT pending withdrawals.

 

The contestants for BOT* for the HTS are:

Amritesh Singh

Ashish Jain

Gattu Rao

Jayanthi Sankrith

Jhansi R Putta

Mithilesh Kumar

Rajesh Ramamurthi

Ramana Allena

Rohit Dagli

Sangeeta Raizada

Sarika Agarwal

Sashidhar Reddy

Smita Jain

Sunita Singh

Ved Shravah

Vupputuri Srinivasarao

VV Rami Reddy Muppidi

 

The Nominees for BOG* for the HTS are:

Krishan Luthra

Kurthish Dharia

Ram Lalukota

 

Nominees for BOD for the HCC are:

Mattur Balakrishna

Jayashree Ganesh

A few important things to note.

1) There is still time to request absentee ballots. In the event any member is unable to attend in person, he/she can still request absentee ballots.

2) The certified membership list has been posted on the website. Any member that has paid their membership dues before the certified list was posted is still eligible to vote in the election provided proof of membership is presented.

3) In the event of an election additional details will be provided in the next couple of days.

 

Following are some important dates and deadlines:

Date by which candidates can withdraw their nomination: October 22, 2021

Date by which request for an absentee ballot3 should be received by NEC:October 23, 2021https://www.hindutemplealbany.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/2021-absentee-Ballot-Request-form.pdf

●      Suggested date for mailing absentee ballots to devotees:  October 25, 2021

●      Suggested date for absentee ballots to be mailed back to the NEC:  October 31, 2021

●      Date by which absentee ballot should be received by NEC: November 14, 2021

●      Election Date: November 21, 2021 from 1:00pm – 3:00pm

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact one of the NEC members. May God bless us all!   May Peace and Happiness prevail.

Nomination & Election Committee (NEC) 

Kirthi Nagarajan

Sreedevi Mandava

Janaki Krishnamoorthi

 

Message #4 from the Nomination & Election Committee (NEC)

Update on Vacancies and Term.

Dear Devotees,

Happy Navarathri to all. The NEC prays that this festival bring peace and eternal happiness to all. The NEC is pleased to update the number and term of vacancies.

BOT (Board of Trustees): Ten for a term of Three Years each

BOD (Board of Directors of HCC): Four for a term of three years each

BOG (Board of Governors): Four for a term of three years each

Elections will be held to fill the vacancies based on the number of nominations received. We are looking for devotees who are interested in filling these vacancies and contributing to the temple and HCC management. Please find the link to the election nomination form and absentee ballot request form below for your convenience.

With this recent change the NEC will accept nominations till October 20, 2021

Also, Devotees that pay their membership dues before October 16, 2021 will be eligible to participate in the election process.

Please feel free to share this information with other devotees and temple members. It is in the interest of the members to participate in the election process since BOTs and BOGs play a vital role in governing the affairs of the temple and BODs in the governing of HCC.   You can email the nomination form to Kirthivasan Nagarajan at [email protected] before the deadline of October 16, 2021. In the event of an election, further details will be published by the NEC.

Following are some important dates and deadlines:

  • Suggested due date for candidates to mail nomination1: October 04, 2021
  • Date certified member list is available by: October 16, 2021 (a preliminary list will be posted on the temple website by the end of September)2
  • Date NEC will accept nominations in person at the DVD desk: October 16&20, 2021 between 6pm-8pm
  • Date by which nomination should be received by NEC: October 20, 2021 Download link for nomination form: https://www.hindutemplealbany.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/2021-nomination-form.pdf
  • Suggested date for mailing absentee ballots to devotees: October 25, 2021
  • Suggested date for absentee ballots to be mailed back to the NEC: October 31, 2021
  • Date by which absentee ballot should be received by NEC: November 14, 2021
  • Election Date: November 21, 2021 from 1:00pm – 3:00pm

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact one of the NEC members. May God bless us all!  May Peace and Happiness prevail.

Nomination & Election Committee (NEC) 

Kirthi Nagarajan

Sreedevi Mandava

Janaki Krishnamoorthi

__________________________________________

1 Nomination forms are available on the temple website and links provided in the above communication.

2If your name does not appear on the member list and you believe you are a qualified member to

vote, please contact the Membership Secretary–Rami Reddy Muppidi at 518-253-4535, [email protected]

3The form for absentee ballot request will be available on Temple Website and a link is provided in the above message.

 

Message #3 from the Nomination & Election Committee (NEC)

Dear Devotees,

A Very Happy Dussera to all of you.

I hope you all had a chance to review your membership status with the list published in the temple bulletin board. Please reach out to the Membership secretary in case of any issue.

I recently read an essay by Steven G. Calabresi titled “On Originalism in Constitutional Interpretation. This article had beautifully outlined the 10 purpose of the US constitution on how, the intent; on when it was written is more a legal document pervasive of the factors at that time and cannot be interpreted in its literal sense. It also exists independently of the subjective intentions of those who wrote the text. Unless explicitly stated it is inappropriate for any individual or a group to challenge the document for its contents. Any change is slow and measured and the checks and balances ensure no haphazard decisions are made on the whim. The authority of the constitution and how it forms the framework of this great nation was truly humbling. This is a good read for anyone to get a perspective on how an abstract document has unified this great nation in spite of obstacles and challenges.

The previous message had announced the number of vacancies for each board. At this time the NEC does not have the information to determine if the vacancies are any different than those provided to the NEC by the BOT.

Following are some important dates and deadlines:

  • Suggested due date for candidates to mail nomination1: October 04, 2021
  • Date certified member list is available by: October 08, 2021 (a preliminary list will be posted on the temple website by the end of September)2   
  • Date NEC will accept nominations in person at the DVD desk: October 16, 2021 between 7pm-9pm
  • Date by which nomination should be received by NEC: October 16, 2021 Download link for nomination form: https://www.hindutemplealbany.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/2021-nomination-form.pdf
  • Suggested date for mailing absentee ballots to devotees: October 25, 2021
  • Suggested date for absentee ballots to be mailed back to the NEC: October 31, 2021
  • Date by which absentee ballot should be received by NEC: November 14, 2021
  • Election Date: November 21, 2021 from 1:00pm – 3:00pm

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact one of the NEC members. May God bless us all! 

Nomination & Election Committee (NEC) 

Kirthi Nagarajan

Sreedevi Mandava

Janaki Krishnamoorthi

__________________________________________

1 Nomination forms are available on the temple website and links provided in the above communication..

2If your name does not appear on the member list and you believe you are a qualified member to

vote, please contact the Membership Secretary–Rami Reddy Muppidi at 518-253-4535, [email protected]

3The form for absentee ballot request will be available on Temple Website and a link is provided in the above message.

 

Message #2 from the Nomination & Election Committee (NEC)

Dear Devotees:

We are pleased to announce the following vacancies.

BOT (Board of Trustees): Five for a term of Three Years each

BOD (Board of Directors of HCC): Three for a term of three years each

BOG (Board of Governors): Two for a term of three years each

Elections will be held to fill the vacancies based on the number of nominations received. We are looking for devotees who are interested in filling these vacancies and contributing to the temple and HCC management. The rules for the elections as well the election nomination form and absentee ballot request form are attached for your convenience. Please feel free to share this information with other devotees and temple members. It is in the interest of the members to participate in the election process since BOTs and BOGs play a vital role in governing the affairs of the temple and BODs in the governing of HCC. You can email the nomination form to Kirthivasan Nagarajan at [email protected] before the deadline of October 16, 2021. In the event of an election it is important that you bring a photo ID to enable you to cast your vote. In the absence of a photo ID, the NEC may ask two voters with photo IDs to certify your identity.

Following are some important dates and deadlines:

  • Suggested due date for candidates to mail nomination1: October 04, 2021

  • Date certified member list is available by: October 08, 2021 (a preliminary list will be posted on the temple website by the end of September)2

  • Date NEC will accept nominations in person at the DVD desk: October 16, 2021 between 7pm-9pm

  • Date by which nomination should be received by NEC: October 16, 2021 Download link for nomination form: https://www.hindutemplealbany.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/2021-nomination-form.pdf

  • Date by which candidates can withdraw their nomination: October 22, 2021

  • Date by which request for an absentee ballot3 should be received by NEC: October 23, 2021 https://www.hindutemplealbany.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/2021-absentee-Ballot-Request-form.pdf

  • Suggested date for mailing absentee ballots to devotees: October 25, 2021

  • Suggested date for absentee ballots to be mailed back to the NEC: October 31, 2021

  • Date by which absentee ballot should be received by NEC: November 14, 2021

  • Election Date: November 21, 2021 from 1:00pm – 3:00pm

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact one of the NEC members. May God bless us all!

Nomination & Election Committee (NEC)

Kirthi Nagarajan

Sreedevi Mandava

Janaki Krishnamoorthi

__________________________________________

1 Nomination forms are available on the temple website and links provided in the above communication..

2If your name does not appear on the member list and you believe you are a qualified member to

vote, please contact the Membership Secretary–Rami Reddy Muppidi at 518-253-4535, [email protected]

3The form for absentee ballot request will be available on Temple Website and a link is provided in the above message.