Three Nepalis in the U.S. have developed a resourceful website, Nepaltira.com, to help Nepali-speaking U.S. citizens navigate the voter registration process for the upcoming November 5 election. The site provides comprehensive information on voter registration deadlines for all 50 states in the Nepali language.
Suveg Pandey, one of the creators based in Seattle, explained that the initiative was inspired by his mother, a recently naturalized citizen who finds Nepali-language resources more accessible.
“My mom is a recently naturalized citizen and finds information in Nepali easier to understand. So, my friends and I created a website, Nepaltira.com, with voter registration information in Nepali for all 50 states in the hope that it will be helpful to others as well,” said Suveg Pandey.
The website offers details on in-person, mail-in, and online registration deadlines, as well as information on same-day registration where applicable.
“The idea came because we have many family members who are recently naturalized, like my mom, who prefer to engage with things in Nepali rather than English. Often, when people think about language justice, they focus on the most common languages. So, Nepali resources are lacking, and we wanted to fill that gap because we know there are thousands of Nepalis in the same position in the U.S.,” Suveg explained.
The team behind this project consists of Suveg Pandey, Prabhas Pokharel from Virginia, and Paribartan from Chicago. Their shared background in civic engagement and community service laid the foundation for this initiative. Suveg, who previously taught Civics and Citizenship classes at Adhikaar in New York, helped numerous Nepalis obtain U.S. citizenship over six years. At Adhikaar, they also conducted sessions for new citizens on how to register to vote for elections.
Building on their previous efforts, which included phone banking during the COVID-19 pandemic to encourage Nepali voter turnout, the team decided to create this digital tool.
“This year, we want to continue that work by building tools for Nepalis to access information about where they can vote,” Suveg explained.
The website, Nepaltira.com, allows users to easily find state-specific registration information by selecting or typing in their state. The creators have self-funded the project and developed it with input from friends and family, with their parents assisting in proofreading the Nepali content, according to Suveg.
Kishor Panthi
View More PostsKishor Panthi is the founder and editor-in-chief of Khasokhas and NepYork. He is the author of three books, “Kampan,” "UNTRANSLATABLE" and “Zero Mile.” He writes about social issues, immigration, and politics.
