As Obama and many other citizens are echoing around the country, this Midterm Election is a very crucial one, in years. It essentially foreshadows what the future holds for immigrants, citizens, minority groups, and America, as a land of the free. In California alone, there are multiple candidates, ballot measures, and propositions to consider, that will shape the state’s future.

Our representatives, the measures and Propositions, all impact our lives at some point and impact the whole population of California in the longer run. After all, centuries of fighting took place in this nation so that everyone had a fair opportunity to vote. It is a right we are taking for granted when we should be exercising it instead. Our votes are the backbone of what makes this nation a true Democracy, writes Siliconeer youth editor Vansh A. Gupta.

The Trump administration has said it is planning to “revise” the definition of employment and specialty occupations under the H-1B visas by January, a move which will have an adverse impact on Indian IT companies in the U.S. and small and medium-sized contractual firms mostly owned by Indian Americans, writes Lalit K. Jha.

India has been shaken to its core by the sudden wave of the #MeToo movement that started with the recounting of the decade-old saga of sexual harassment faced by visiting U.S.-based, former Miss India and Indian film actor, Tanushree Dutta, writes Priyanka Bhardwaj.

Autonomous vehicles are slowly becoming mainstream with the introduction of Tesla’s Auto-Pilot. However, of the 5 levels of autonomy technology, Tesla is only at level 2. Incoming the new decade, many tech companies like Nvidia, Denso, and Udacity look into level 5 autonomous vehicles where one can simply ride rather than drive. TiE Silicon Valley and Denso hosted an event on level 5 autonomous vehicles at the Micro Focus Office in Sunnyvale, Calif. last month, reports Vansh A. Gupta.

An Indian American woman, who was elected as the first woman Mayor of Cupertino, seeks re-election to Cupertino City Council. A Siliconeer report.

Indian skipper Virat Kohli said, Oct. 20, his side’s middle-order puzzle will be solved if Ambati Rayudu cements his place at the crucial No. 4 position in the matches ahead of next year’s World Cup, writes Tapan Mohanta.

Fahria Khan, a highly qualified education activist, is a first-generation Bangladeshi-American running for one of two highly contested seats on the Fremont School Board in this November’s mid-term elections. If elected, she will become the first South Asian to sit on the 5 persons Board of Trustees, writes Maheen Hamid.

Celebrate Diwali with this confection from Punjab. It is rich, milky and nutty, a delicious sweet treat for family and friends. Chef Sanjay Patel shows you how to make it at home.

Siliconeer wishes all our readers a very happy and prosperous Diwali!